Ashes To Flames
by Striderm8 - Lotus
Summary: He didn't believe in any Pantheon or God, but he enjoyed their culture. He didn't have any exceptional qualities, but he wasn't normal by society's standards. And yet, for some reason, the deities chose him for Reincarnation. So, when he wakes up in the body of a child, he is confused, especially when he learns that he is a devil. He isn't complaining though. Not. At. All. OC!
1. Reincarnation Of A Devil

**From Ashes To Flames  
**

* * *

Many believed in Heaven and Hell. Many believed in other religions. Many disregarded the Pantheons and instead turned to science and logic. Many just didn't care.

And yet, when they are close to dying, they pray to the Heaven's for forgiveness or wonder what sick treatment awaits them in hell. Some wish to escape from the living world. Some wish to be reincarnated.

Some thought the afterlife would be all fun and games. Some thought it would be absolutely nothing, a void of darkness. Some thought it'd be endless torture or living out their perverse dreams. In reality?

An empty space.

A dull void, nothing but grey matter floating and shifting endlessly.

Formless, ever-changing, forever moving. Nothing like the humans could ever had depicted it.

Nothing would be capable of living there except for maybe a few deities, and even then, it'd be near impossible. And yet, despite all the odds stacked against anything and everything, the form of a human was there.

"Last thing I remember was looking down from the top of a building," a male voice said. "I'm not suicidal, but the thought _has_ crossed my mind before. Of course, that was when I actually cared about the people around me."

Floating above the void, the body of a teenager rested there, the owner breathing yet not at the same time. It was a living contradiction, similar to that of Schrödinger's Cat.

"Still..." the teen continued, his mouth not moving despite speaking. "I do remember being pushed off a building by something, then everything went black..."

"Apart from dying," the teen continued as his body suddenly floated upwards into a standing position. "Black is my favourite colour, so it's alright, I guess. I've done terrible stuff, but..."

He opened his eyes, his pupils grey, just like the void around him.

"Is this the afterlife?" He mused, his lips curling. "A whole load of nothing? An empty grey space? Or am I simply stuck in the middle of nowhere?"

The teen tilted his head and looked at his hands, but his eyes didn't recognize his body.

"...no, that's not it either. If I had to take a guess, I'd say I'm in the process of being convert into a spirit to be sent to hell or heaven. I'm guessing the former, though is God really real?" The teen began floating forwards. "I'm not a firm believer in him or her, but I do believe he or her is real to a certain extent."

The teen seemed to pass through an invisible barrier as the void around him shimmered. Whether ignorant or unaware, the teen continued forwards before stopping.

"So, I'm stuck in a void with nothing to do for eternity?" The teen chuckled, his face imitating laughter before suddenly stopping, replaced with a dead expression. "Fucking glorious. I can't wait to be here forever. Well, actually, I guess I can be philosophical. I'm good at that."

The teen closed his eyes, unaware of the 72 pillars surrounding his body. Whether ignorant or he didn't feel the pure power emanating from them, the question would forever remained unanswered.

Eyes still closed, a rift of dark energy ripped open the void in front of the teen, a white one appearing behind.

Suddenly, the teen's body arced backwards before straightening up, his eyes rolled in the back of his head as the rift erupted into a pillar of darkness. The white light was consumed – destroyed – as the pillar of darkness dyed the room in what could only be described as an eternal black, a never-ending void.

Opening his eyes, the teen seemed moderately surprised before glancing at his body. His stark white appearance acted like a star in the darkness.

"...where am I?"

Spinning around, the teen noticed he had a body and clenched his fists, still unaware of the pillars surrounding him.

"I was surrounded by a grey void before," he muttered in disbelief. The teen began to run his hands through his hair. "So, am I being transported to hell or something?"

Suddenly, the 72 pillars erupted into life, different symbols representing different clans, their signature abilities coating the symbols. Frozen in place, the teen's eyes glazed over as he looked everywhere, unable to keep up with the rotating pillars.

 _ **Clink**_

 _ **Clunk**_

 _ **Ka-Chunk!**_

"What the...?" The teen murmured as the pillars slowly came to a stop. Taking a shaky step forward, the teen approached a lone pillar, the symbol of a phoenix etched into the otherworldly material.

"...this looks... ...familiar..."

Reaching out, the teen touched the firm matter and watched as the symbol etched itself into his stark white hand before fire coated it. Wincing, he grit his teeth as the fire raced up his arm, leaving behind intense scorch marks.

Crying out in pain, the teen fell backwards, only for his hand to remain airborne above the pillar, holding him in place as the pillar began to shed its black matter.

Slowly, the teen began to slowly disintegrate into ash as the pillar began to glow a bright, fiery light. Shielding his face, the teen winced as the light began to blind him, only for the hand covering his face to fall to the ground, flesh to ash.

"H-Heh," he chuckled out as his body began to disintegrate. "I suppose... ...I deserve this, don't I? Wonder what'll happen now..."

In a flash of light, all that remained of the teen was a pile of ash, a single feather resting on top as if the ash was its throne. Slowly, the golden feather was corrupted by the darkness surrounding it, staining it a dark, blue-purple hue.

The pillars in the room all faded away, leaving behind the pillar of the phoenix.

Unaware and ignorant of his current state, a teenage boy was reincarnated as a devil. A devil of the Phenex Household.

* * *

Embers and ash littered the razed ground where a forest once stood. Burnt trees covered in soot were toppled, fires continued to burn despite having nothing to burn off of, and smoke covered the sky, jealously keeping it to itself.

 _\- l. l._

 _l . . l. l . . l . l. l. l. l . l. l . l . l . l . l l_

 _l. l . l . l . . l . l . l_

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In the middle of all the destruction of which humans would call a natural disaster, a boy around the age of 7 lay alone, his clothes charred and his body scarred with fatal wounds. He was presumed dead by his attackers by the lack of demonic energy, and yet, he wasn't.

His chest slowly moved as his demonic powers returned, a flood of painful memories and experiences filling his body. Flames burst out and covered his whole body. Instead of burning, they traced his wounds slowly and delicately. After minutes, they slowly disappeared, leaving behind nothing but skin, no longer marred by the fatal wounds that ruined its beauty, the only exception being the face contorted in pain.

Blonde hair and tattered, rich clothing, the boy's back suddenly arched before returning to normal. Moments later, he began to cough violently, hacking and gasping for breath as he sat up, clutching his chest as his heart pounded his ribcage violently.

His breath ragged, the boy sat there for what felt like an eternity, eyes wide as he tried to slow his racing heart. Fires crackled around him as the smoke thickened. His body felt on edge, filled with adrenaline and yet every move he made felt like he was being poked with a hot metal rod.

"W-W-W-Where a-am I?" He managed to stutter out, still clutching his heart in pain. Looking around wildly, the boy's eyes widened even more as he saw the destruction laid out before him. To the teenager who had no idea what was going on, he thought it was all a mere nightmare, something to freak him out before the next day.

He was wrong.

The young boy went to open his mouth to speak, only to inhale smoke. Hacking violently, the boy began to cry, tears running down his face as he choked, pain flaring in his chest.

 **FYYYYYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!**

The smoke dispersed and the fires died instantly. Hitting his fist against his chest, the boy's vision was blurry as he fell forwards onto his chest.

"F-Fuck me," he managed to gasp out whilst laughing in pain. "I must be delusional. There is _no way_ that just happened."

The boy suddenly lost all energy and lost consciousness as a blonde man ran forwards, worry etched on his face.

"Ruax? Where are you?"

A young adult with similar features ran forwards before seeing the unconscious body. Instantly, he slid to a stop besides the boy and placed his fingers on his neck. Feeling a pulse, he sighed with relief before frowning, noticing the lack of demonic aura around the boy's body.

"...you idiot," the man muttered under his breath as he picked the boy up. Holding him close to his chest, he sighed and stood up. Turning around, he began walking back from where he came from. "You could've died, but I am at fault first and foremost."

A magic circle began to form underneath the man's feet, a bright golden glow forming before columns of flames erupted up. Coated in the flames, the fire disappeared in a flash alongside the teenager holding the boy.

* * *

A lavish room too good for many, only a family of nobility in the human would come close to scratching the surface of 'true' comfort.

Laying in a bed way too large for his body, the young boy lay there, groaning in pain underneath multiple sheets. Curling into his sheets, the boy named 'Ruax' clutched the velvet red bedsheet and pulled them close, muttering words underneath his breath.

"Lonely, common, average." The boys head violently twitched as his muttering became more feverish. "Rich, nobility, Phenex." The boy began to shake as his head twitched again. "Dead, void, phoenix pillar." He began to shake more violently. "Common- no, nobility. Average- no, brilliant. Son- no, third son." His head twitched again, almost going a full 90-degree angle as he suddenly sat up. His eyes shot open, glazed over as an inner conflict raged within.

"Ruax. Rai. Ruax. Rai. Ruax. Rai."

His hands still clutching the bedsheets, they began to glow. Embers began to form on the lining.

" **Ruax. Rai. Ruax. Rai. Ruax. Rai"**

Fire began to consume the bedsheets as the young boy sat there, unaware of what was going on.

l. l.

" _ **̶̧̟̘̙̹̠̙̯͓͓̱͎͛͗R̴͎̥͙͉͓̝͇͇̐͒̀̈͂̈́̽̌ȕ̷̗̦̝̜̗͚̈͊̂͆̏͠ǻ̷̹̖͉͗͑x̸̰͇̹̺͌̈́̐̇̑́̀̓̿͑̇͑̿͜.̴̡̧̧̻̪͖̠̺̖̝͉̜͆ ̷͕̮̺͚̲̩͔̻̰̜͗̒̓̊̑̌̒̔̊͂̾͑͜R̷͚͚͎̲͌̄̓̄̐̆͗̌̄͘͘͜͝a̵̧̛̛̘̗̖̽̾͆͋̌͂̒͐ì̷̛͓̪͇̍̏̌̒͠͝.̵͖̏̈̐͒̚̕͝͝ ̸͙̙̹́̈̏͛͒̑̚͜͠͝R̵̭̼͋̄͒̓̀͂̀̈́̈̌̚͠u̸̢̳͖͔̣͛͗̇̌̒̂̒͐́͒̈̕̚a̶̢̢̡̫̩̰̳̺̞̤̬̜͔̿̑̊̐̈̂̀͊́̆͘̚͝x̴̨̢̧͚̞͊͑̐͋̏̿̿͘͜͜͠͠.̷͕̳̣̻͓̺̬̗͌̓͜ ̵̢̹̦̜̟̳̭͇͒̍͒̄͐̅̏̀̋̀̐̃͜Ŗ̶̘͚͖͕̙̬̣̬̩͖̀á̷̝͇̻̪̰͎̿͆̀̂͘̚í̵̥͕̄̌͂͆͂͒́̽̓̀.̷̜̼̻̈́̀̋́̇͗ ̷̘͓̬̘͇̩̙̳̥́̃͊̚͜͜R̵̨̼̝͎̔̐̈͜u̵͔̖̻̦̯͈̎̿̂̓͐͐́̉͆̆͘a̴̫͇̲̒̇̓̚x̶̥͚̤̉́̚.̸̧̹͉̺̳̖͈̬͓̳̣̣͚̽̽̽̓̃͛͌͛̀̕ ̷̧̛̹͓̼̪̹̻̰̓̄͆̂̾͌͐̈͛̔̂̓ͅṘ̷͕͋̒ḁ̴̱͕̘̼̦̭̉͒į̷͓͚̻̬̝̹̬̱͋̃͛̊̄̿̔̎̆̂̾̋"̷̢͈̦͙͙̐**_

 _l._

The door to the room slammed open as a man ran in.

"Maids, get Mother and Father!" He shouted as the fire began to consume the bed. Waving his hand, the fire dispersed, leaving behind the young boy muttering to himself.

"Rai, no, Ruax, no, Ruax, no Rai."

The young man grabbed the boy's shoulders and shook him.

"Ruax, wake up!" He shouted.

The young boy froze as his eyes lost the glaze. Blinking, the boy slowly turned to look at the man and frowned.

"Do I know you?" He asked, a frown on his face. His eyes were no longer clouded, but instead a pale gold.

The man – in his early 20s – froze, his eyes glued on the young boy in front of him.

"Ruax," the man said, his voice wavering slightly. "Do you remember anything? Anything at all?"

'Ruax' slowly looked around the room, his eyes showing no recognition. The man slumped over as the boy turned back to face him.

"Do you know where I am?" Ruax asked, his voice weak. "My memories... ...they are all... murky."

The man straightened up and smiled. It was a smile that would have young women chasing him for miles on miles. It was so bright and dazzling that it could extinguish a star. And yet, it told multitudes of pain. Layers upon layers, and his eyes reflected that.

"Before we start," the man said gently, sitting on the edge of the bed, "I have to ask you one question. Can you remember anything, or are your memories too murky for you to remember?"

Ruax's eyes glazed over as he racked his brain. The man watched carefully as Ruax winced, his face contorting in pain.

"It hurts," Ruax murmured, making the young man grimace. "It's like something is stopping me."

"So? Nothing?"

Ruax hesitated before shaking his head.

"Something came to me," he murmured, prompting the man to lean forwards. Gesturing for him to continue, Ruax seemed to hesitate again before speaking. "I know that we are devils, but I do not know which household I belong to."

With those words, the man felt a pang of guilt in his chest. It was painful, for his little brother knew he was a devil and part of the supernatural world, yet didn't know to who he belonged to. It was guilt, for letting him wander too far away yet he didn't care. His little brother survived what should've been an instant death for someone his age. He was just glad that he got there in time, before they came back to finish him off.

"Door," Ruax croaked out, surprising the young man. "Someone's knocking on the door."

The man sat there, startled, before smiling and nodding.

"I'll be right back," he said as he stood up. Walking towards the door, the man opened it, revealing a handsome blonde man and woman. The man had sharp hair and deep sky-blue eyes with a neat suit on. The woman had flowing blonde hair tied up into two twin tails, forming drill-like curls. Her ornate dress radiated wealth and nobility.

"Ruval, is Ru-Ru alright?" Lady Phenex asked, her elegant voice filled with concern.

"More importantly, is he able to form coherent sentences?" Lord Phenex asked, his voice smoother then velvet. "I'll do something regrettable if he is reduced to a babbling mess."

Ruval hesitated before opening the door wider.

"See for yourself," Ruval said as his mother and father walked in.

As they approached the bed, Ruax seemed lost in his head before slowly looking up as Lady Phenex sat on the bed.

"Ru-Ru, it's me, your mother," Lady Phenex said softly, her voice a bare whisper.

Ruax tilted his head. "...mother?"

Lady Phenex froze before a single tear ran down her face. As she raised her hand slowly to her face, more droplets of water fell, each tear glistening.

"H-Huh?" She said, her voice weak and fragile. Lord Phenex rested his hand on her shoulder, his eyes tearing up.

"A beautiful lady like you shouldn't cry," Ruax murmured as he leaned forwards. Carefully, he wiped away her tears before his mouth curled.

A small smile.

"...Ru-Ru," Lady Phenex managed to whisper out slowly.

"I don't remember much, but you feel familiar," Ruax admitted, making all three adults gasp. "Please don't cry... mother."

"R-R-Ru-Ru... ...ah, I can't stand it anymore!" Lady Phenex cried openly as she embraced her second son. Surprised, Ruax felt the tears begin to soak his shirt as he slowly wrapped his arms around Lady Phenex.

"Welcome back, Ruax," Lord Phenex said as he sniffled, wiping away his tears.

"Hello... ...dad...?"

Ruax looked at Ruval and tilted his head.

"I guess that makes you... big bro...?"

Ruval felt his heart erupt in pain and happiness at the same time.

"What are you both standing around for?" Ruax eventually said as Lady Phenex didn't move, her grip tight. "Come here and help me out."

Lord Phenex couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Help you from what, exactly?" Lord Phenex asked. "You had us worried, let's consider this to be your punishment."

Ruax simply nodded, earning a frown from Lord Phenex.

"Ruval, let us leave for now," Lord Phenex eventually said, patting his wife on the shoulder. "We have some topics to talk about."

Ruval merely nodded.

"I'll come talk to you later, okay Ruax?" Ruval opened the door and let his father walk out first before leaving.

As the door shut, Ruax looked at Lady Phenex awkwardly, the woman still crying.

Externally, he smiled awkwardly. Internally, he sighed.

'She may technically be my new family, but why is Lady Phenex so smoking hot?'

Ruax felt envious of Lord Phenex, his new father.

* * *

His 'Mother' had left not moments ago, leaving the child to rest. Ruax couldn't help but ponder what he had been thrust into. Of course, he had his obvious thoughts which consisted of:

'I'm in the world of fucking HSDxD!?'

\- and –

'What.'

And yet on top of that, he was extremely calm. What an odd way of coping.

Sitting up in his bed, Ruax sighed.

In his former life, he was tall, somewhat smart and **edgy**. That he knew. He enjoyed his old life. His new life? Yeah, he'd enjoy it. Yeah, he'd have hard times and easy times. Yeah, he'd have a new family. But would he have his old friends? His same lifestyle? Would he adjust fast enough to his new life?

Too many questions in too little a time.

Ruax sighed and curled deeper into his sheets.

"I miss my family," he murmured into the sheets. "I miss my home already. I miss everything."

He turned in his bed.

"But at the same time, I can live in comfort and do nothing," Ruax continued to talk to himself. "I can be a pompous, overgrown brat who talks down to everyone and anything despite their rank." The boy snorted quietly. "Still... I remember what I used to say in my old life."

Ruax laid on his back and stared up at the ceiling.

"If I ever got another shot at life, I won't waste it."

The boy closed his eyes and sighed.

"Do I cower and fail to keep my promise?" He muttered to himself. "Or do I start now?"

Laying in bed in silence, he suddenly groaned and slowly sat up.

"Well, let's go through the changes in my body," he murmured.

Getting out of the bed, Ruax looked around for a mirror and found one.

"Number one," he grumbled, walking towards it. "I'm short, walk slow and have the body of a seven year-old." Stopping in front of the mirror, Ruax's jaw dropped. "Two," he said softly, admiring his face. "I look fucking glorious."

Stepping away from the mirrow, Ruax turned towards the curtains and pulled one open. Seeing the Underworld's night sky, he frowned.

"I'm no longer in the human world," Ruax murmured underneath his breath.

With a heavy sigh, Ruax turned around and looked around his bedroom.

With his enhanced devil senses plus night vision, Ruax saw how bare his room was. A lone wood desk with a lamp and chair, two bedside tables beside his massive bed fit for a king, a bookshelf and a wardrobe. All in all, very bare for one of nobility.

Wandering around his room, Ruax glanced at his wardrobe and shrugged.

"I wonder what type of clothes I have..."

Opening the wardrobe slowly, Ruax glanced at the sight in front of him.

Tight-fitting noble clothes, tight pants- clothes he would never want to wear. Pushing them aside, Ruax searched for something more casual and sighed with relief. Pulling out a dark-red shirt and a maroon blazer, the young boy also found jeans and socks. The only shoes he found were formal shoes.

He shrugged.

Beggars can't be choosers.

Placing them back in the wardrobe, Ruax explores the rest of his room before sitting on his bed, having come to a conclusion.

"This is a big ass room," Ruax muttered. "A big ass room filled with nothing." Frowning, Ruax rubbed his jaw – a subconscious act from his past life – as he laid down on his bed. "Maybe once I get used to all this, I could get it filled so I could get a head start."

The boy shook his head.

"No, that won't do," he murmured, pulling the sheets over his body. "Info first. I need to know where I am in the timeline so I can start with my studies and training. Pure-Blood devils have high potential, but nothing like that of humans. Issei is... well, if he trained a whole lot non-stop, he'd be broken."

Ruax stopped rambling and closed his eyes.

'Well, I'm not gonna be a weak little bitch when canon comes around," Ruax thought to himself as he felt himself begin to fall asleep. 'I need to be strong enough to beat most, if not all High Class Devils a few years before canon. I'll also need to get a grasp on how politics and all that work, learn how to read and write languages and magic...'

Before he could finish his train of thought, Ruax fell asleep, the layers of blankets keeping him warm.

* * *

 _S̶̻͙̜͚̉o̷̢̧̨͙͑̽͘n̵̮̭͈̐̈́̄̚͘͜ͅD̶̨̛͖̪̳̯̊̽̕͠e̵̖̼̘͛a̴͓͆͝d̷̤́͠?̵̢͎̱͓̇̍̏͝C̷̖̻͂̐̎̐̀̅̚ǎ̵͙̦̟̞̊͆̌̈́ṵ̸̢̈̀́̇̌͝ş̴̞̯̼̳̃̊̈́͊̓͘͝é̵̙̥͔̜̭̈́O̶̥̜͒͑f̷̨̤͔͓̀̐͋̉͌͘͘Ḑ̶̙̳̣̺̻̔͌͊e̸̞̰͇̭̿̐̿͒̌̾͂ͅa̴̻̩̠͒́̅̃̚ͅͅt̸͈̣̦̆̐̒̒͜͝ḥ̸͕̉́͌̄͝͝Ṣ̶͍̰̙̍͌͠͝ǘ̸͎̑̉̀i̵͙̇̀͋̊̃̌c̸̦̅͛̾î̸̲͌̃d̵̼̲̘̾̂̑̈́e̸̟͔̊͐̈́͛̂̾̃͜?̵̡͙͓͍̬̜͐̀̓̇͝S̴͓͈̼̰̭͍̱͆̃ù̴̱̼͕s̶̡̻̰̱͎̊ͅp̵̘͔̰̬̬̺̤͌̀̀͒̈͝i̵̧̳̗̔͐͒̎c̷̘̿ḯ̵̢͚̹̦̖͗̄̇̓̊̈́ó̵̢̯̮̒͠ù̴̢͓͖̘̘̲̟s̴͕̺̱͌͊͠͠F̷̮̓ȉ̸̭r̵̥͐̒̉̇̀̏e̴͙̻͛?̶͖͙̞͙̈́̈́͘Ṕ̴̡̡̥͕̖̞̀̄̄̅͝͝ȏ̸̲̏̑š̴̹̼̓͋͂̆͘s̵̡̠͌͒̉̇̃̑i̴͙̐̓͆̕̕b̵̤͔̽l̵̡̡̨̓e̸̥̻̯̠͕̒̌̎͝Ţ̵̮̪̼̟̊ê̸̖̟̖̹̩̦̚ͅr̷̪̪̋̄͗̿̒͒̓r̴̬̦̼͔̞̾̾̅̾̈́̊ò̶̥̗͐̐͗̔͝ĭ̶̡̟͇̰̥̭̘̾̍̌̈́s̴̡͈̹̰̱̜̳̊̒̋̔͝͠ṯ̷̹̰̰̂͒̎̄̈́͝S̶͉̎̄ų̸͎̩̯̠͖̆͒̇͌į̷̙̰̭̥̮̈́͠ͅc̶̠͈̑͛͛̎̂̇̕i̷͎̪̾͂̕ḏ̴̝̜͛̈͐̀̈́̊͠ę̸̧̮͒̍͝A̶̠̲̠͓̍͒̑̀̔͒̕ṱ̶̢͇̲̟̔̋͆̄̀̚t̴͈̭̬͔̯͕̟̽̈a̶̙̔̿͑͌͝c̷̡̟̜͙͓̈́̇̕k̴̨͕̺̭͆̿̽̀̔̋?̸̼̗̼̲̐̆̅̈̈̈́̚͜ͅ ._

"Ru-Ru?"

 _S̶̻͙̜͚̉o̷̢̧̨͙͑̽͘n̵̮̭͈̐̈́̄̚͘͜ͅD̶̨̛͖̪̳̯̊̽̕͠e̵̖̼̘͛a̴͓͆͝d̷̤́͠?̵̢͎̱͓̇̍̏͝C̷̖̻͂̐̎̐̀̅̚ǎ̵͙̦̟̞̊͆̌̈́ṵ̸̢̈̀́̇̌͝ş̴̞̯̼̳̃̊̈́͊̓͘͝é̵̙̥͔̜̭̈́O̶̥̜͒͑f̷̨̤͔͓̀̐͋̉͌͘͘Ḑ̶̙̳̣̺̻̔͌͊e̸̞̰͇̭̿̐̿͒̌̾͂ͅa̴̻̩̠͒́̅̃̚ͅͅt̸͈̣̦̆̐̒̒͜͝ḥ̸͕̉́͌̄͝͝Ṣ̶͍̰̙̍͌͠͝ǘ̸͎̑̉̀i̵͙̇̀͋̊̃̌c̸̦̅͛̾î̸̲͌̃d̵̼̲̘̾̂̑̈́e̸̟͔̊͐̈́͛̂̾̃͜?̵̡͙͓͍̬̜͐̀̓̇͝S̴͓͈̼̰̭͍̱͆̃ù̴̱̼͕s̶̡̻̰̱͎̊ͅp̵̘͔̰̬̬̺̤͌̀̀͒̈͝i̵̧̳̗̔͐͒̎c̷̘̿ḯ̵̢͚̹̦̖͗̄̇̓̊̈́ó̵̢̯̮̒͠ù̴̢͓͖̘̘̲̟s̴͕̺̱͌͊͠͠F̷̮̓ȉ̸̭r̵̥͐̒̉̇̀̏e̴͙̻͛?̶͖͙̞͙̈́̈́͘Ṕ̴̡̡̥͕̖̞̀̄̄̅͝͝ȏ̸̲̏̑š̴̹̼̓͋͂̆͘s̵̡̠͌͒̉̇̃̑i̴͙̐̓͆̕̕b̵̤͔̽l̵̡̡̨̓e̸̥̻̯̠͕̒̌̎͝Ţ̵̮̪̼̟̊ê̸̖̟̖̹̩̦̚ͅr̷̪̪̋̄͗̿̒͒̓r̴̬̦̼͔̞̾̾̅̾̈́̊ò̶̥̗͐̐͗̔͝ĭ̶̡̟͇̰̥̭̘̾̍̌̈́s̴̡͈̹̰̱̜̳̊̒̋̔͝͠ṯ̷̹̰̰̂͒̎̄̈́͝S̶͉̎̄ų̸͎̩̯̠͖̆͒̇͌į̷̙̰̭̥̮̈́͠ͅc̶̠͈̑͛͛̎̂̇̕i̷͎̪̾͂̕ḏ̴̝̜͛̈͐̀̈́̊͠ę̸̧̮͒̍͝A̶̠̲̠͓̍͒̑̀̔͒̕ṱ̶̢͇̲̟̔̋͆̄̀̚t̴͈̭̬͔̯͕̟̽̈a̶̙̔̿͑͌͝c̷̡̟̜͙͓̈́̇̕k̴̨͕̺̭͆̿̽̀̔̋?̸̼̗̼̲̐̆̅̈̈̈́̚͜ͅ_

"Ru-Ru?"

 _ **S̶̻͙̜͚̉o̷̢̧̨͙͑̽͘n̵̮̭͈̐̈́̄̚͘͜ͅD̶̨̛͖̪̳̯̊̽̕͠e̵̖̼̘͛a̴͓͆͝d̷̤́͠?̵̢͎̱͓̇̍̏͝C̷̖̻͂̐̎̐̀̅̚ǎ̵͙̦̟̞̊͆̌̈́ṵ̸̢̈̀́̇̌͝ş̴̞̯̼̳̃̊̈́͊̓͘͝é̵̙̥͔̜̭̈́O̶̥̜͒͑f̷̨̤͔͓̀̐͋̉͌͘͘Ḑ̶̙̳̣̺̻̔͌͊e̸̞̰͇̭̿̐̿͒̌̾͂ͅa̴̻̩̠͒́̅̃̚ͅͅt̸͈̣̦̆̐̒̒͜͝ḥ̸͕̉́͌̄͝͝Ṣ̶͍̰̙̍͌͠͝ǘ̸͎̑̉̀i̵͙̇̀͋̊̃̌c̸̦̅͛̾î̸̲͌̃d̵̼̲̘̾̂̑̈́e̸̟͔̊͐̈́͛̂̾̃͜?̵̡͙͓͍̬̜͐̀̓̇͝S̴͓͈̼̰̭͍̱͆̃ù̴̱̼͕s̶̡̻̰̱͎̊ͅp̵̘͔̰̬̬̺̤͌̀̀͒̈͝i̵̧̳̗̔͐͒̎c̷̘̿ḯ̵̢͚̹̦̖͗̄̇̓̊̈́ó̵̢̯̮̒͠ù̴̢͓͖̘̘̲̟s̴͕̺̱͌͊͠͠F̷̮̓ȉ̸̭r̵̥͐̒̉̇̀̏e̴͙̻͛?̶͖͙̞͙̈́̈́͘Ṕ̴̡̡̥͕̖̞̀̄̄̅͝͝ȏ̸̲̏̑š̴̹̼̓͋͂̆͘s̵̡̠͌͒̉̇̃̑i̴͙̐̓͆̕̕b̵̤͔̽l̵̡̡̨̓e̸̥̻̯̠͕̒̌̎͝Ţ̵̮̪̼̟̊ê̸̖̟̖̹̩̦̚ͅr̷̪̪̋̄͗̿̒͒̓r̴̬̦̼͔̞̾̾̅̾̈́̊ò̶̥̗͐̐͗̔͝ĭ̶̡̟͇̰̥̭̘̾̍̌̈́s̴̡͈̹̰̱̜̳̊̒̋̔͝͠ṯ̷̹̰̰̂͒̎̄̈́͝S̶͉̎̄ų̸͎̩̯̠͖̆͒̇͌į̷̙̰̭̥̮̈́͠ͅc̶̠͈̑͛͛̎̂̇̕i̷͎̪̾͂̕ḏ̴̝̜͛̈͐̀̈́̊͠ę̸̧̮͒̍͝A̶̠̲̠͓̍͒̑̀̔͒̕ṱ̶̢͇̲̟̔̋͆̄̀̚t̴͈̭̬͔̯͕̟̽̈a̶̙̔̿͑͌͝c̷̡̟̜͙͓̈́̇̕k̴̨͕̺̭͆̿̽̀̔̋?̸̼̗̼̲̐̆̅̈̈̈́̚͜ͅ**_

"Ru-Ru!"

Ruax shot up in his bed, his shirt drenched in sweat. Eyes wide, chest heaving, the boy slowly looked around before eventually letting out a sigh.

"...a nightmare?" He whispered to himself as he rubbed his temples.

"Ru-Ru? Are you alright?"

Startled, Ruax saw his mother leaning forwards, her face filled with concern.

"I-I'm fine," Ruax said shakily, trying to smile to reassure her.

As Lady Phenex fussed over him, Ruax lost himself in his thoughts.

'What was that?' He thought as his 'mother' continued to worry over him. 'Those images I saw... ...they were disturbing. It was like I was there, watching them die.'

Ruax shook his head and looked at his mother. Lady Phenex was still fussing over him, her face and tone concerned as she continued to talk.

Slowly and carefully, Ruax managed to get Lady Phenex's attention.

"Mother, I have a question."

Lady Phenex brushed a strand of hair to the side. "What is it, Ru-Ru?"

"How old am I?" Ruax asked, his face slightly curious.

"You're seven," Lady Phenex responded, looking away. "It was your birthday a week ago, but then..."

"I was attacked, wasn't I?"

Lady Phenex turned to Ruax, her face shock, anger and sadness mixed into one.

"How did you-?"

"Figure it out?" She nodded as Ruax turned towards the windows, the curtains now opened. "Well, I took a guess," he said, shrugging as he did. "The last thing I remember that isn't fuzzy is being in an opening. Everything was burning."

"...you've changed, Ru-Ru."

Ruax turned to his mother as she looked down at her hands.

"Losing your memories does that to you, doesn't it?" Lady Phenex looked at Ruax. She saw nothing of her son inside his eyes, yet she could feel something familiar within.

"Ru-Ru..."

"...mother..." Ruax placed his hands on his mother's shoulders as he smiled. "I may not be the same son you remember, but I'll always be _your_ son, no matter what."

Wrapping his arms around her, Lady Phenex felt something salty enter her mouth. Raising a hand to her face, she wiped away her tears and returned the embrace.

"Sorry for ruining the tender moment, but something important has come up."

Fully opening the door, Lord Phenex entered the room.

Rubbing her eyes, Lady Phenex used a handkerchief to dry her face before turning.

"What is it, darling?"

"We found them," he said, his face grim. "The ones who did it."

Instantly, Lady Phenex was on her feet and at the door.

"Can I come?"

Freezing in the doorway, Lady Phenex turned around and faced her third son.

"Honey, don't you think it's best you stay here?"

Lady Phenex was concerned for her son's health; that much was obvious. Despite concluding that he had amnesia, she was afraid it would trigger a psychological attack on her beloved Ru-Ru. She would never let that happen, even if the chance was near zero.

"Ru-Ru, you sho-."

"You can come, Ruax," Lord Phenex interrupted his wife. Seeing her whirl around and glare at him, he frowned. "Our son has a right to see those who attacked him. It is his choice alone to make, not yours." Turning to look at the bed, he found Ruax opening his wardrobe.

"Will these clothes be alright, mother, father?" Pulling out the clothes from last night, Lord Phenex looked them over and nodded.

"Do you want me to help you change, or shall I call a maid?"

Ruax seemed to hesitate. "...could you help me, father?"

Nodding, Lord Phenex walked over as Lady Phenex stepped outside, closing the door as she did.

From their point of view, it'd be strange if their son asked to dress himself without assistance. Of course, many nobles in devil society have others dress them, and the Phenex family was no different. Well, for formal events at least. They were a hassle most times.

Taking his sweaty shirt off, Ruax was handed a white shirt instead of the dark-red he found. The boy pulled on the white shirt. Taking the jeans, his father shook his head and handed him a pair of formal pants. Pulling them on reluctantly, Ruax shrugged into a black blazer his father held out for him. Looking for socks, Lord Phenex pulled on white socks onto his son's feet. Finding the shoes, Ruax pulled them on as Lord Phenex tied them.

All in all for Ruax, a 16 year-old in the body of a 7 year-old, he was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed at needing his new dad to help him get dressed. Sure, it was necessary for him to keep up the act for now, but sooner or later, he was going to change that.

Adjusting the shoulder area of his blazer, Ruax gave his father a grateful nod as Lord Phenex nodded in approval.

"Ready to go son?"

"I'm ready father."

Lord Phenex stared at his son for a few moments before nodding again. Walking towards the door, he pushed it open as Ruax silently sighed.

'Today is going to be a long day.'

* * *

"So, do I have control over my demonic powers?"

Lord Phenex chuckled as they left the mansion. Walking through the beautiful estate, they came to a stop at a beautiful carriage decorated with gold.

"Control?" Lord Phenex smiled. "At birth, you were a natural at manipulating fire and wind. It is second nature to you, Ruax, as it is to your brothers and sister."

"Could I try summoning a flame?"

Lady Phenex smiled. "Of course, sweetie."

"Just imagine a flame on your palm," Lord Phenex continued. "If you have trouble with that, imagine a flame on your palm with something feeding into it like fuel. It should be easy for you to access your demonic reserves."

Nodding, Ruax closed his eyes.

'A flame with fuel pouring into it.' The boy saw the image clearly in his head as energy suddenly pumped through his body. It was like adrenaline.

"Congratulations Ru-Ru," Lady Phenex said as Ruax opened his eyes.

Gasping in surprise, Ruax saw a flame hovering above his hand, the heat basking him with warmth. His heart filled with excitement, the flame dissipated, making him frown.

"Demonic power requires a constant power source, a clear mind and focus," Lord Phenex said as a servant opened the door to the carriage. "Most emotions interfere with our use of magic, but some can influence our power."

Entering the carriage, the three devils sat down as the door shut. Instantly, the carriage began moving.

"Anger can make our attacks unstable but more powerful," Lady Phenex continued. "Grief can make our magic weak and pathetic. Or it can do the reverse of that. It all depends on the person, really."

Ruax nodded, his mind moving at 500% the normal speed. Despite the explanation, Ruax was on cloud nine, his thoughts on one thing only.

Demonic magic.

Out of all the supernatural races, devils had it the easiest. Their magic was near limitless with potential, their sharpened senses made their life easier, and they lived for an extremely long time. To top it all off, they could also be born with sacred gears if they were hybrids like Vali Lucifer.

Their potential was nothing to scoff at either. Whilst humans like Issei Hyoudou could easily become extremely strong if they trained and fought strong opponents on a daily basis, they were a rarity among humans. Humans with potential that high could be considered an extinct species and nobody would complain. That's how rare they were.

High Class Devils generally had a high potential for growth, but many wasted it, relying on their demonic power reserves to save them. One such example would be Raiser Phenex. Whilst the case isn't exactly the same, he was arrogant because he relied too much on his regeneration abilities.

Devils. They could easily become as powerful as Gods, with such cases being Sirzechs Lucifer and Ajuka Beelzebub. And yet, they remained lazy, their pride pinning them down. That was majority of the High-Class Devils' hubris: pride.

All these thoughts ran through Ruax's head as he sat there, waiting for Lord Phenex – his father – to finish speaking to the security. Sure, they were still on Phenex territory, but he knew that his dad wouldn't take the risk.

Ruax shuddered. If he wasn't reincarnated and 'Ruax' actually died... ...well, the devils that attacked him wouldn't be alive. After all, it was exceptionally hard for devils to become pregnant, and to kill one of nobility as well...

Feeling something warm on his hand, Ruax looked up and gave Lady Phenex a small smile, trying to comfort his mother.

Yes, his mother. There was no point trying to deny them as a 'false family'. The fact that he fell asleep and woke up in this world proved his point. He had been reborn, and judging from his experience when he was technically 'reincarnated', he was reborn into the body of somebody dying or already dead.

Still, he was finding it hard to adjust. It was weird calling them 'father' and 'mother' instead of 'mum' and 'dad'.

He shrugged. He'd get used to it.

* * *

Standing in the lobby – a dull grey room with countless magic circles engraved into the walls – Ruax was lost in his thoughts as his father spoke to the receptionist.

"We're ready to go in now," Lord Phenex said, startling Ruax with his sudden appearance. His face softened as he crouched down, resting his hand on his son's shoulder. "Are you ready, Ruax?"

He knew that his father was just as worried as his mother, but he needed to see who did it. He needed to know who had killed this innocent child.

Ruax nodded. Thoughts later, he needed to stay in the present.

Lord Phenex nodded and stood up. Walking, they passed through a doorway, leaving a rich interior and entering a plain hallway. Generic white lights lined the floor and ceiling as they passed empty holding cells.

"This is the one here," Lord Phenex said as he came to a stop. Placing his hand on a scanner, a green light flashed and the metal door slid open.

"Just the three of you, Lord Phenex?" A guard asked as he approached, his outfit clean and sharp.

Lord Phenex nodded. "Remain here in case they try something."

"I would even if you didn't ask, Lord Phenex."

The guard moved to the side before speaking into his earpiece. Stepping in, Lady Phenex followed silently as Ruax entered last. The door slid shut and locked as the three devils slowly approached a table inside a grey room. A camera was in the corner, recording the six devils in the room.

"N-No," a devil whimpered. "It can't be..."

"You should be dead!" Another roared as he stood up. Instantly, the shackles drained his power as he slumped back into his chair. He growled, powerless.

"..."

"...good morning, gentleman," Lord Phenex said as he took a seat. " _I'm very happy to see you all_."

Ruax shivered as he stood besides his mother. That tone was one that spoke of death.

Looking over the three devils, the boy didn't recognize any of them. The one on the left who spoke first was a teenager with messy brown hair. His body was skinny. The one in the middle had blue hair and looked like a young adult. His body was well toned but was covered in scars. The last devil – a female – sat with her face shadowed, a pair of fox ears and a single tail drooping.

"...Lukas, correct?" Hearing a groan from the middle devil, Lord Phenex continued. "You were recently promoted to a High-Class Devil after fifty years of handing out flyers. An impressive feat, I must say." Lord Phenex leaned forwards, his eyes narrowed. "Well, for scum like you, I suppose."

Ruax heard a weak snarl come from Lukas.

"Well, I guess your luck ended there, didn't it?" Lord Phenex glanced at the two devils beside him. "After becoming a King, you forcefully turned a human and youkai into your servants and attempted to kill my third son." The atmosphere in the room became heavy, almost suffocating. "A foolish attempt, I must say. One punishable by multiple laws."

Standing up, Lord Phenex pushed in his chair as Ruax walked closer to the table.

"Fucking brat..."

Lord & Lady Phenex eyes widened in anger before Ruax stopped them.

"It's alright, mother, father," he said, his eyes ablaze. "I wish to do something." Holding out his hand, palm facing the ceiling, the boy concentrated, his mind clear.

'I need a golden flame,' he thought to himself, eyes closed. 'Not to big and not to small. Enough for a serious burn.' Concentrating, Ruax tapped into his demonic reserves, remembering the feeling from when he was reborn and his use earlier. It was like being on an adrenaline high, a high-end motor pumping power into his body.

Feeling his whole body explode with energy, Ruax opened his eyes. In his palm, a golden flame flickered, the trickle of demonic energy he was feeding it making it glow brighter.

Slowly walking around the table, Ruax could feel the heat emanating from the flame. To him, it was like a gentle caress of warmth. To the other devils, however...

"It wasn't this hot before," Lukas muttered, his energy drained as sweat began to soak his clothes.

Stopping behind Lukas, Ruax hid his excitement at using magic again, instead focusing on keeping it alive.

"Mother, father, may I?"

Lady Phenex looked conflicted but her husband merely closed his eyes.

"It is your choice, Ruax."

Nodding, Ruax hesitated before he pushed his palm into Lukas' back. The devil let out a scream of pain as the flames burned through his clean clothes.

Taking a step back, Ruax cut off his flow of demonic energy to the magic. Walking back around to his parents, he turned to look at Lukas.

Panting in pain, the High-Class Devil's clothes were incinerated; rich material now ashes on the ground. Chained, naked and humiliated, Lukas whimpered as Lord Phenex opened his eyes, glaring at the devil.

"Later today, you will be sent to Ars Goetia for your crimes," Lord Phenex said, turning around and moving towards the door. "Depending on the methods we use and what information we retrieve, your final sentence will be death. As for your two servants, depending on what they've done, their punishment is unknown."

"Let's go, son."

Lord Phenex activated the door. As it slid open, Ruax spared one last glance at the devils behind him.

 _ **Despair**_

He left silently.

* * *

In his room, Ruax sat in his chair, entranced by the golden flame on his palm. The energy running through his veins slowly trickled into the fire, fuelling it's lifespan.

Rotating his wrist and flexing his fingers, Ruax watched as the flame created from his demonic energy phasing through his fingers. The demonic flame burned brightly no matter what the boy did.

Closing his hand and cutting off the source of power, the flame disappeared. Opening his hand, Ruax grinned.

Magic would forever fascinate him no matter what happened. There were so many strands of it; demonic, Norse, angelic, Greek, Celtic, Egyptian, elemental, void, light, darkness, black, white, human, magician - if he could sit down and learn all of it, he would.

Looking around his room, Ruax glanced at his bed, countless books on devils, devil history, The Great War and strands of magic scattered. It had been a week after they talked to the devils, and the moment they returned, he had locked himself in his room. His mother and father had tried talking to him, but he hasn't responded until yesterday.

Ruax felt bad, that much was certain, but he had needed time to process his thoughts. Using magic, how to escape to the human world for a bit before canon, training... potential killing, etc. If anything, he was hesitant on the last. To kill is to rob somebody of everything, regardless if they're good or bad, and he wasn't ready yet... for now.

Spinning in his chair to face his desk, Ruax began reading the book open again.

Demonic energy and how it works

"Many devils think using demonic magic is simple," Ruax murmured as he flipped a page. "And it is. Imagine what you wish and will it into creation. However, some reincarnated devils have trouble using magic, and so, I have created this book for them."

A magic circle alongside detailed diagrams explain how magic worked covered the page. Fortunately, the knowledge imprinted in his new body remained, so he had a broad understanding of the devil language and could read and write it effortlessly. Unfortunately, it strained his mind, so he practiced daily to get used to it.

With a sigh of reluctance, Ruax shut the book and stood up. Walking towards the door, he opened it and looked around.

He had asked Ruval to train him physically and was met with a hesitant yes. He had asked his mother to show him how Phoenix Tears were made and she agreed. He had asked his father to teach him about High Class Society. He started teaching instantly.

Seeing nobody around, Ruax shut the door and sighed. He had begun training with Ruax who merely instructed him to begin working out so he could handle his training later on. His mother hadn't shown him how Phoenix Tears were made yet, and he had another session with his dad later today. All in all, tedious, but worth it in the long run.

Moving to the open area in his room, Ruax dropped to his knees and let out a weary sigh.

"I'm already sick of push-ups," Ruax grumbled, glaring at the floor.

Starting with his daily work-out, he felt his muscles begin to burn as he grunted.

"Seven, eight, nine," he muttered under his breath.

Continuing with his rep, he sighed internally. Whilst the Supernatural Race/s looked similar if not exactly the same as a human, what gave them away was the general aura of power. Of course, that wasn't to speak of the physical boost to their bodies as well. He wasn't sure of the exact boost, but he knew it pretty much made you a superhuman.

Counting fifty, Ruax stopped and let out a tired huff.

"What was it next?" He murmured as he slowly got to his feet. "Was it crunches or planking?"

Lost in thought, Ruax scratched his chin before slapping himself in the face.

"I forgot to do my twenty-k jog. Fuck."

* * *

 **End.**

 **Now, obviously this is a Reincarnation Story with an OC. Is it a self-insert? Probably. Anyway, for those who have noticed already, I've changed some things with the Phenex Family. First thing first is that 'Raiser/Riser', the third son, is now the second son. The former 'second son' that was never named is now the 'third son'. The third son that died, then had the soul of a human reincarnated into the dead child.**

 **Anyway, this was inspired by Anomaly by Rosenkruetz? I don't know how to spell the name, and I'm lazy too check. If you read this, sorry if it's wrong.**

 **Now, I've also introduced Demonic Magic and how it works. Got a complaint on how 'Ruax' or 'Ru-Ru' can use magic so easily for somebody who has never used it before? You can wait for the chapters to come out. Also, I couldn't think of a decent name so 'Rai' is now stuck with 'Ruax'.**

 **Ruax = Rax or Ru-ax**

 **Next chapter/s will be out soon after this. Don't get your hopes up to high though.**

 **\- Striderm8**

 **Have any questions? Leave them in a review or PM me. Anyway, seeya next time!**


	2. The Phenex Clan

**Ashes To Flames**

 **Yo, that's actual insane. Thanks for 52 Followers and 34 Favourites in under 24 hours!**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **[Guest] Noticed that, though don't know much myself. I'll be pumping a lot of research for this story. Thanks for the review!**

* * *

One week later, having finished his new daily routine of working out, Ruax entered his father's office, freshly showered and ready to step into something he thought he never would.

Waiting in front of his father's desk, Lord Phenex glanced at his son before continuing his paperwork. Standing in silence, Ruax waited awkwardly as his father finished reading over the paper in his hands before placing it down.

"What is it, Ruax?" Lord Phenex asked. "Is there something you wish to ask you?"

Ruax nodded as he stepped forwards, his hands fidgeting with his shirt.

"I want to learn about politics and High-Class Society," Ruax said.

"Hmm..." Lord Phenex scratched his chin in thought. "Why exactly do you want to learn about this for?"

Ruax blinked in surprise.

"Huh, I... ...actually don't know why," he admitted. "I just thought it'd be nice to know about what's going on."

Lord Phenex chuckled as he smiled.

"That's fine," Lord Phenex said. "There is nothing wrong with curiosity, Ruax."

He gestured to the maid in the room.

"Could you please draw a chair?"

"Of course," the maid obliged.

Murmuring a thank you, Ruax sat across his father as the maid returned to her station, her black-and-white uniform the generic outfit for all maids in the mansion.

"So," Lord Phenex started. "What do you want to learn about first?"

Seeing Ruax stuck in thought, Lord Phenex smiled.

"Let's start with High-Class Society then."

Clearing his throat, Lord Phenex glanced at the maid. She bowed before leaving the room, the wooden door shut close with a dull thud.

"So, what do you know about High-Class society?" Lord Phenex asked before adding in: "If you can remember anything, of course."

"I don't have a clue," Ruax replied. "Maybe from the beginning?"

His father nodded.

"Well, let's start with rankings in devil society."

Taking a sip of water, Lord Phenex cleared his throat again.

"Devil society is ranked into four different rankings," Lord Phenex said. "There is low class, mid class, high class and ultimate class devils. Low-Class Devils are generally reincarnated devils and servants of High-Class Devils. Mid-Class devils are reincarnated devils that have been promoted to a higher tier by handing out fliers and completing contracts, performing great deeds for the Underworld, etc."

"High-Class Devils are the nobility of the Underworld," Lord Phenex continued. "They range from the seventy-two pillars which includes extinct households, extra demons, etc. Low-Class Devils can possibly become High-Class Devils, but it is a rare case when this occurs."

"What do you have to do to be promoted?" Ruax asked. He had a general idea of being promoted to a higher tier, but never got the full details.

"It's quite a process," Lord Phenex admitted. "First, devils chosen to be promoted have to undergo a written test, testing their knowledge on the Underworld. After that, they are also tested in a physical test in which they are pitted against other devils to get a gauge on their strength. After that, depending on how they performed, they are graded. Whether or not they receive a passing grade depends entirely on the devil."

"Do I need to go through that process?"

Lord Phenex shook his head.

"You are already classified as a High-Class Devil," Lord Phenex replied. "If you wish to, you can join another's peerage. However, you must get your King's permission to leave and re-register yourself as a King." He waved his hand. "There are more complex details, but I won't bore you with that."

"How about Ultimate-Class?" Ruax asked curiously. "What do you have to do to get there?"

"You need to be a hero of the Underworld," Lord Phenex responded. "The term 'Hero' has changed a lot since The Great War, but now it merely means being in the top ten of the Rating Games or having performed countless deeds of heroic valour for the sake of the Underworld. You also need to be extremely intelligent, have a high-ranking job, strong political power, be powerful, etc etc."

"That makes sense," Ruax murmured. "It makes it extremely difficult to achieve that rank though..." He looked up at his father. "Did they purposefully make it that difficult to reduce the people with strong political power?"

"Sort of." His father scratched his chin. "Making the jump from High-Class to Ultimate-Class is extremely difficult, and barely any if all have done it in the past few centuries. Reaching the requirements for Ultimate-Class is another task altogether."

"Is there another rank in Devil Hierarchy?" Ruax asked, surprising his father. "I mean, stopping at Ultimate-Class... ...don't we have Four Satans in the Underworld?"

"Satan-Class?" Lord Phenex chuckled. "As of now, there are only four devils who hold the rank of 'Satan Class' devils, and they are indeed the current four Satans."

"What did they do to achieve that rank?"

"Well..." Lord Phenex rubbed his shoulder, grimacing. "After the Great War, devil society had another war. It was the Old Devil Satan Faction verses the Anti-Satan Faction."

"Why'd the war begin?"

"The reason this war began was because followers of the original Satans believed that their goal was to dominate the world," Lord Phenex replied. "In response to them, four aces in the Great War stepped up and defeated the Old Satan Faction. Those four are the current Satans we have now: Sirzechs Lucifer, Ajuka Beelzebub, Serafall Leviathan and Falbium Asmodeus. They are... monsters, in their own league. Especially that of Sirzechs and Ajuka."

"How strong are they?" Ruax asked curiously. "I mean, they can't be as strong as the original Satans, can they?"

Lord Phenex shook his head.

"Sirzechs Gremory and Ajuka Astaroth are considered Super Devils," Lord Phenex explained. "Two of the three that exist. Their power is ridiculous, surpassing the realm of strength that He and the four original Satans had."

"Super Devils?"

"Extremely rare cases where devils are born with ridiculous amounts of power," his father said. "When Sirzechs Gremory was born... ...well, he was floating in the air, the signature trait of the Bael Clan surrounding him. His Power of Destruction was so powerful that everything around him was disintegrating, and nobody but his mother Venelana could touch him."

"That's awesome," Ruax exclaimed, his eyes wide. "To be born with that type of power... ...wait, they surpass the strength of Him?"

Lord Phenex nodded.

"Sirzechs and Ajuka – the two strongest Satans – are rivals and best friends from childhood. Ever since birth, they have kept up with each other, and they have surpassed the strength of the original Lucifer and his father. To put it simply, they are monsters in a league of monsters."

Ruax nodded dumbfoundedly.

He knew half of this information, sure, but he had never heard about the specifics of Sirzechs birth. Hell, he didn't even know that they surpassed the strength of Lucifer and God!

Ruax winced in pain before shaking his head.

"Let's stop here for today."

Lord Phenex stood up and walked out from behind his desk. Walking towards the door, he waited for his son to join him before opening the door.

Walking down the hallway – richly decorated representing the Phenex Household's wealth – Lord Phenex lost himself in thought as he let his feet take him forwards.

Ruax... he was a sort of anomaly to him now. Before, Ruax was very out-of-touch with the world, never wanting to leave the mansion. He'd just sit in his room, and nobody knew what he did. The only sign of life they got from him was when he was asleep or using demonic power in his bedroom. There would be random flares of demonic energy and they'd rush to his room, only to find him unconscious on the floor.

...well, it made sense to Lord Phenex. Their son was born in a similar fashion to Sirzechs, but he wasn't confirmed to be a Super Devil by the doctors. When his wife gave birth, Ruax floated into the air and was surrounded by rich, golden flames that coated his body. They didn't burn anybody, and instead were warm and fuzzy. However, it felt like they were missing something. Something to make the true power come out... it's true form.

Sure, he had displayed abnormal amounts of demonic energy before for his age, but he always fell unconscious after using too much in one day. Besides... it was nothing as destructive as Sirzechs' Power of Destruction, and the drawbacks were only temporary. Maybe if he underwent training with his brother Ruval, he could make his body strong enough to withstand his own power...

Lord Phenex dismissed his thoughts as they entered dining room. Seeing his wife already seated and waiting, he walked towards her and smiled.

He could worry about his third son in the future. Right now, he wanted to relax.

* * *

Sitting in his room, Ruax flipped through the book he was reading, twirling his fingers with a flame dancing between them.

The room was spacious as before, the curtains drawn open to let in the fake light and the door shut. The only sound present was the faint echo of music coming from another room and the flipping of paper pages.

"Interesting," Ruax murmured. "This goes in depth to all sorts of magic devils can do."

Apart from the obvious demonic magic, devils could pretty much use all sorts of magic unless they required certain requirements. Ruax was very curious about a few sorts of magic now that he knew this.

Senjutsu, telekinesis, time and gravity manipulation, elemental... what he wanted to learn was endless, and he would have all the time to learn if he managed to pull off his plan.

Flipping a page, Ruax scratched his chin.

It wasn't really a plan yet, he knew that. He just had an idea to escape the Underworld for a bit, and he was crossing his fingers and praying to whoever was listening that it'd work.

Ruax sighed.

Shutting the book and closing his hand, the fire dissipated as he placed the book on his table. Standing up, he walked to the door and left the room, searching for somebody in his family.

Walking up flights of stairs, Ruax didn't gasp at the sheer wealth on display. Everything on display, everything he now owned... it didn't faze him anymore. He enjoyed being a part of a rich family, and he would abuse the wealth he had control over to help him with his goals.

Walking past a room, Ruax stepped back before walking up to the doorframe and peering in. Standing in silence, he watched as his mother fussed over another girl in the room, her blonde hair in the process of being tied in ponytails.

"Now Ravel," Lady Phenex tutted. "You need to stay still so I can finish this up."

"Sorry, Mother," Ravel said meekly. "It's just that I'm nervous."

"To meet Ru-Ru?"

Ravel nodded as Ruax grinned, walking in silently. He saw Lady Phenex twitch in his direction before ignoring his approach.

"Ru-Ru would be happy to talk to you," his mother said gently, finishing off Ravel's hair. Letting her hair fall - two drill-like twin tails coming to a rest – Lady Phenex smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "You look beautiful sweetie."

"Thanks mother! Now, can I go see brother?"

Lady Phenex smiled, making Ravel tilt her head in confusion.

"Hey sis," Ruax said, smiling as his sister turned around.

"Ru-Ru!"

Ruax sighed at the nickname before Ravel collided into him. Feeling her arms wrap around him, Ruax returned the gesture awkwardly as his sister buried her face into his shoulder.

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"

Ruax smiled awkwardly and glanced at his mother, only to see her leaving the room, a smile on her face before the door shut.

"I heard what happened! You jerk! Why would you do that!?"

Ruax looked at Ravel who was looking up at him, tears in her eyes. Instead of asking what was wrong, Ruax merely closed his eyes and nodded his head.

"I'm sorry," Ruax said, rubbing Ravel's back. "I don't know what I've done, but I'm sorry for it."

'And I'm sorry that I'm not your real brother,' he added silently.

Standing there, the two siblings hugged each other in silence, one crying her heart out, the other awkwardly patting the others back.

After a few minutes, Ravel disengaged and stepped back, wiping her puffy red eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, Ru-Ru," Ravel said softly.

Ruax waved it off.

"It's fine, Ravel. I'm at fault here."

Scratching the back of his head, Ruax smiled as Lady Phenex walked back in. Wordlessly, she handed Ravel a tissue before nodding at Ruax.

"...so... ...do you want to do something, Ravel?"

Instantly, Ravel perked up and pointed her finger at Ruax, startling the boy.

"I challenge you to a fight!"

"Huh."

Slowly turning to look at Lady Phenex, she merely laughed, smiling.

"You and Rave usually have competitions using your demonic magic," Lady Phenex explained as Ravel stood there, blue eyes shining. "Should I accompany you two so you don't get carried away?"

"Could you send Ruval over?" Ruax asked. "I wanted to ask him something."

Lady Phenex smiled.

"Of course, Ru-Ru." She turned to Ravel. "Don't go overboard, Rave sweetie."

"Yes mother!"

Watching Ravel bound on the spot energetically, Ruax flinched as she ran past and grabbed his hand without notice.

"Let's go already!"

"H-Hey! Calm down!"

Lady Phenex chuckled as she walked out of the room, Ravel already far away, dragging Ruax with her.

"Should I be concerned, Lady Phenex?"

Lady Phenex glanced at the maid approaching her before shaking her head.

"It is fine, Latisha," she replied, still smiling. "Ravel is happy to have her brother back."

The maid – Latisha – smiled in response.

"Lady Ravel was the only one who could get Prince Ruax out of his room, wasn't she?"

Lady Phenex merely nodded before walking away. Watching Lady Phenex disappear down the corridor, the maid returned to her duties.

* * *

Leaving one of the various entrances and exits to the garden at the back, Ruax followed Ravel as she skipped forwards into a massive rectangular area.

Looking around, Ruax noticed that the massive area was covered in grass, singed ground, dirt and ashes. Scorch marks filled the area with a few tiny craters littering the area.

"What is this place?" Ruax murmured to himself.

"This is where we hold our battles!" Ravel exclaimed, her simple pink dress standing out against the dull ground. "Today, we'll have a fireball contest!"

Ruax raised an eyebrow, curious.

"What do I have to do?" He asked.

"You need to create a fireball with your demonic magic and throw it into the sky," Ravel said, grinning. "Whoever throws it furthest into the sky wins!"

Ruax shrugged.

"Sounds easy," he said. "Go ahead. Ladies first."

Ravel nodded before taking a pose. Keeping her hand open, a small flame appeared before curling into a sphere of fire.

"Hii-Yahhhhh!"

Throwing the fireball, Ravel watched as it ascending into the sky before fizzling out.

"Alright!" She cheered, jumping into the air. Turning around, she pointed her finger at Ruax, smirking triumphantly. "Hah! Beat that!"

Ruax shrugged nonchalantly before stepping forwards. On the outside, he was calm. Inside, however...

'ShitShitShit! How do I throw demonic magic? Is it like a ball physically, or do I have to control it with my mind? Fuck!'

Holding out his hand, palm facing up, he closed his eyes, cleared his mind and sighed.

'Ignore that, focus on making the fireball.'

Taking a deep breath, Ruax remembered the colour of his flames and pictured a roaring fire confined to a sphere. After a minute, he opened his eyes and smiled as he saw the golden orb floating above his palm, flames licking at his hand, a warmth spreading throughout his arm to his body.

"So pretty..." Ruax heard Ravel murmur.

Smiling, Ruax brought his arm back and took a deep breath.

"Well, here goes."

Throwing the sphere, flames burst out and coated the orb as it ascended into the sky. Watching, it skyrocketed past where Ravel's stopped and kept flying forwards.

Still focused on the fireball, Ruax glanced at Ravel, her mouth open in awe. Smiling, Ruax turned back to the fireball and scratched his chin in thought.

'What would happen if it just exploded like fireworks right now?'

 **KA-BOOM!**

Yelping in surprise, Ruax's eyes widened as the golden fireball exploded, its embers flying outwards.

"It's so pretty!"

Ruax nodded in agreement, completely lost for words as the golden embers fell, decorating the sky with pretty lights.

"What the hell did I just do?" Ruax murmured, confused. "I know that we have control over fire, but mastery this early?"

You really need a clear mind and focus with demonic magic,' Ruax realized. 'One thought or emotion could easily ruin your magic.'

"Beautiful display for your sister, Ruax."

Turning to the side, Ruax watched as Ruval entered the area, clapping as he walked in.

"Big Brother Ruval!"

Running forwards, Ruval chuckled before picking up Ravel. Spinning around, he held her high as she laughed before placing her back down.

"Hello Ravel," Ruval said, smiling. "Did you enjoy the fireworks your brother made for you?"

"Uh-huh! There were cool!"

Ruval chuckled.

"Of course," Ruval said. "Were you two having a contest?"

"Yep! But Ru-Ru cheated!" Ravel pouted. "He used fireworks, not a fireball!"

Ruval looked at Ruax who shrugged.

"I threw a fireball and thought about what would happen if it exploded," he admitted. "I thought about fireworks and it kinda just happened."

"Oh." Ruval chuckled. "Do you know the details of your birth, Ruax?"

The boy tapped his head.

"I don't know, do I?" Ruax replied, frowning. "I still don't remember anything, brother. I'm surprised I know how to use magic."

Ruval scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

"...right. Anyway, using any of the Phenex Clan traits – especially your fire – will come naturally to you," Ruval explained. "During your birth, you floated in the air and were coated in your golden flames, similar to that of Satan Lucifer's birth. Do you know how he was born?"

"Yeah," Ruax said. "That would be scary to witness."

Ruval nodded.

"Your birth was similar, except your flames didn't destroy," Ruval continued. "According to father, apparently they coated just you and were warm to touch. Ever since then, you've been able to effortlessly create fire just by thinking about it."

'That'd explain why I can use it so easily,' Ruax thought. 'Is it just fire though? Or does it go for flying and air magic as wel-?'

"Hey! Talk to me! Talk to me!"

Ruax flinched as Ruval laughed, Ravel pouting with her cheeks puffed up.

"Right, sorry Ravel," Ruval smiled as he crouched. "What do you want to do?"

"Contest! I want to have a contest!"

"What type of contest?"

"Fire contest! I want to see who has the prettiest flame between you Big Brother Ruval and Ru-Ru!"

Ruax sighed exasperated but couldn't the smile spread on his face.

"Oho? Is that what you want to see, Ravel?"

"Yup!" Ravel jumped on the spot energetically. "I wanna see! I wanna see!"

Ruval chuckled before standing up. Turning to face Ruax, Ruval smiled.

"You first little brother."

Ruax nodded and held out his hand.

'Fire,' he envisioned. 'Burning in my palm, fierce yet calm. Bright and powerful, inextinguishable.'

Opening his eyes, a fierce ball of fire crackled above his hand, explosive and dangerous. Instead of warmth, Ruax could feel the heat emanating from it.

"Not your unique fire?" Ruval questioned, an eyebrow raised. "Very well. Here is mine."

Splaying his hand upwards, a replica of Ruax's flame appeared.

"Not creative or original," Ruval said. "But it is still beautiful, is it not?"

"You copied my flame," Ruax replied. "Couldn't you try something else?"

"Of course."

Within the second, Ruval's flame flickered before a dark blue-purple flame replaced it. Instantly, the heat in the area skyrocketed as the flame hovered above his palm. It was intoxicating to look at, yet it was dangerous, like an exotic plant that was beautiful but deadly poisonous.

Gulping, Ruax tried to mock the fire but failed as his own flickered out of existence. His heart hammered in his chest as he once again remembered the power gap between them. It wasn't even a gap, more alike to a canyon.

Still looking at the flame, Ruax felt a strong feeling within him. A primal emotion; fear. He couldn't move, talk, breath – it was as if he was turned into stone by Medusa.

Extinguishing the flame, Ruval raised an eyebrow and watched Ruax carefully.

"So little brother? Where's your original flame?"

Taking a deep breath, Ruax's body shook as he exhaled.

Slowly, he looked up and smiled at Ruval.

"This," Ruax said shakily.

Exploding into life, a fiery golden orb hovered above Ruax's hand before transforming into a fireball. As it flickered, Ruax sighed with relief as the golden flame spread its warmth around him, chasing away the fear he had felt moments ago.

Closing his hands after a few moments, Ruax turned to Ravel as his flame disappeared.

"So," Ruax said. "Whose fire is better Ravel?"

"Ru-Ru's fire is better!" Ravel shouted in excitement.

Ruval's posture lost its pride as he slumped over.

"Is that what you really think, Ravel?"

"Yup!" Ravel replied, her mouth open in a toothy grin.

Sweat dripped down Ruax's face as he hesitated to speak. Ravel shone like a light, happiness radiating from her as Ruval was slumped over, a depressive cloud hovering over his body.

"Uhh..." Ruax sighed in defeat. "Let's head inside now."

Walking past, Ravel followed, still radiating like a sun as Ruval slowly recovered from his depression.

'It seems that the Gremory Family isn't the only one with a sis-con devil,' Ruax groaned in his head. 'I hope that Sirzechs, Serafall and Ruval never meet each other in the same room with me.'

Little did he know that they already had, and the results were not pretty.

* * *

Sitting in the grand bathtub which could classify as a spa, Ruax sighed and rubbed his face. His body was still tense but was slowly unwinding. The fire his brother had shown... it was ridiculous, strong enough to warrant that of an Ultimate-Class Devil strength.

Running his hands through his hair, Ruax let his head drop into the hot water, his nose resting above the water level.

He was scared, that much was simple. The only information he had on his brother Ruval was that he was a true noble, polite and kind, and also rumoured to be promoted to Ultimate-Class rank soon. From that, he had assumed he was strong in every aspect possible, but he didn't expect a simple flame from his older brother to instil fear into his very being.

A purple and blue-hued flame. Hotter then an ordinary flame by an extreme margin. The fact that Ruval had this type of power frightened him. It didn't frighten him as much as the Power of Destruction, but it was close.

Rubbing his temples, Ruax felt the stress in him slowly leave.

'A monster in his own right, how would I react in the presence of someone stronger? Would I lose consciousness just by being in Sirzechs aura?'

Bringing his hand out of the water, he created his golden flame in his palm. Looking at it intensely, Ruax could feel the raw power in the fire as it flickered, its beauty reflected in the water.

"I feel like you're strong," Ruax murmured as the flame changed, moulding itself in the form imagined. "But I can't just rely on you forever. I'll face challenges that'll force me to change, and I'll be the one who creates those challenges."

Closing his hand, the flame didn't disappear but instead coated his fist a fiery golden aura.

"I'll master you and everything else I learn," Ruax said, the fire flickering in response. "But it'll have to wait. My first goal is to accept my own weaknesses and overcome fear. During that, I'll train and become strong. I'll create a peerage that can stand its own without me and survive this harsh world."

Standing up, Ruax watched as the fire dissipated.

"I refuse to fall, not while I have a second chance," Ruax said resolutely. "Even if I'm beaten down, I'll just stand up and fight back twice as hard."

Closing his eyes, the boy made his promise right there and then.

'I will become stronger then Sirzechs and stand on top. I will make myself a legend to devilkind and a threat to anyone who stands against me. Everyone will know the name Ruax Phenex, and how he changed devilkind for the better.'

Sighing, Ruax looked around the bathroom. It was as grand as a bathroom could get.

"What a shitty place to make a promise like this," Ruax chuckled to himself before stepping out of the bathtub. Drying himself off with a towel, he stepped out of his bathroom and back into his bedroom. "Now, what can I wear?"

Searching through his wardrobe, Ruax found new clothes and sighed with relief.

He had asked one of the maids to supply him with some more casual clothes and they had obliged.

Pulling on his clothes, he smiled at the mirror in the wardrobe.

"I don't look half bad for once in my life," Ruax muttered to himself before making his way towards the door.

Walking out of his room in a crisp white shirt, pants and shoes, Ruax wandered the mansion in search of his family. Upstairs, upstairs again, all the way downstairs; he was not looking forward for the search. He wasn't even sure if there was a basement to the place, but wouldn't doubt it.

Luck was on his side, however, as Ruax spotted Lady Phenex step out of a room.

"Mother!"

Jogging towards Lady Phenex, she turned and smiled as Ruax approached.

"What is it, Ru-Ru? Is there something wrong?"

Ruax shook his head.

"Nothing like that," Ruax replied. "I just had a few questions but I couldn't find anybody."

"Well, what did you want to know?"

"I was wandering how to create a magic circle and teleport as well as how Phoenix Tears are made," he answered.

"I can show you how to teleport," Lady Phenex said. "But why do you want to learn how to make Phoenix Tears?"

"I was curious because it's our family business," Ruax admitted. "Though, I've never actually seen a Phoenix Tear, and it wasn't in the book I was reading either."

"That's alright sweetie."

Looking around, Lady Phenex smiled at seeing the empty corridor.

"To teleport, you either need to draw a magic circle on the ground or create one yourself," Lady Phenex explained. "Drawing one means you can merely pass your demonic energy into it to activate, but these types of circles are generally used for completing contracts. Creating one is more difficult, but is faster then drawing a circle."

"How would I create a magic circle?"

"It's easier then it sounds."

Swirling her hand, a fiery magic circle swirled into life in front of them, the Phenex Clan symbol glowing a fiery orange.

"All you have to do is imagine an ordinary magic circle with the Phenex Crest emblazed on it," Lady Phenex said as her magic circle disappeared. "From there, it can be used to either teleport, use offensive spells, create defensive barriers, etc. Try to make one yourself."

Nodding, Ruax held out his palm and closed his eyes.

'I'm assuming an ordinary magic circle you see all the time? Well, let's go with that. Let's see... ...alright, a magic circle with the Phenex Crest embedded in it..."

Finally opening his eyes, Ruax frowned as nothing appeared in his hand.

"Hmm, maybe you don't have a clear image of what to create?"

Splaying her hand out, Lady Phenex drew the Phenex Clan Crest on the palm of her hand, a fiery outline remaining.

"This is our crest, Ru-Ru. Try making the magic circle now."

Focusing on the crests, Ruax burnt the image into his mind and he re-envisioned the magic circle.

'A fiery magic circle, one that represents the Phenex Clan...'

Opening his eyes, Ruax stared at his hand as he tapped into his bank of demonic power. Feeling pure energy course through his veins, he glared at his palm before a magic circle appear, burning a fiery orange. Still focusing on the magic circle, Ruax moved his hand experimentally, the magic circle following his movements.

"Ufufu, congratulations Ru-Ru. Now, try creating one on the ground and expand it."

Clearing his mind, the magic circle disappeared before a larger one appeared on the ground, slowly rotating on the velvet carpet. Looking at the circle, Ruax felt excitement surge within him at using magic but quickly pushed it to the side. His magic would disappear if he didn't keep focus.

"Now, to teleport yourself, somebody or an object, you must know exactly where you are traveling to or know something about the place," Lady Phenex explained. "With flyers, you are either summoned or teleport yourself to the location. Flyers have a fragment of your demonic power in them, so you feel out for them."

"So, if I wanted to teleport to my room, I would just have to see my room clearly in my head and activate the circle?" Ruax asked.

Lady Phenex nodded.

"That is the basic summary of teleporting," she said. "To completely different locations in the human world or Underworld, merely focusing on the name of a place can teleport you there as well, but takes much longer to teleport. Seeing a clear image of where you are traveling isn't necessary, but quickens the process substantially. Go ahead and try."

Stepping into his magic circle, Ruax took a deep breath and activated his magic. The circle flashed before Ruax disappeared, only to reappear at the other end of the hallway, his magic circle still underneath his feet.

"Good job, Ru-Ru," Lady Phenex said as she clapped.

Ruax gave her the thumbs up before he suddenly fell forwards. Surprised, Lady Phenex laughed nervously before making her way towards her beloved Ru-Ru.

It seems that his body still couldn't handle using too much demonic power.

* * *

 **Chapter end.**

 **Yeah, I honestly don't think I have it in me to write 7k chapters all the time, so I guess I'll make it a minimum of 5k words.**

 **Thanks for all the follows and favourites! It's been five days and already 68 followers and 41 favourites? That's insane for me! Sucks that I only got 7 reviews out of it, but hey, all good for now.**

 **So, tell me your thoughts on the story so far! What do you think of Ruax learning about politics? What do you think about his 'birth' and unique golden flames? What do you think about Ruax's interest in magic? Do you think he'll learn all of those? What do you think about his sister Ravel? What do you think of their fireball contest? What do you think about demonic magic in general? What do you think of Ruval's purple-blue flames? What do you think about Ruax's promise... ...in a bathtub? What do you think about the chapter in general?**

 **(PS: The only reason I'm asking this is to get a feel for readers. Don't get me wrong, I ain't following suggestions from people, so don't get that idea when I respond to reviews. I'm writing solely how I want to.)**

 **Oh yeah, [NEFEX – Dangerous]. I believe this would be a suitable song for Ruax when he is older. Heard the song in my playlist today and thought it'd be pretty good.**

 **\- Striderm8**

 **Oh yeah, I might turn 'that' into an omake in the future. Seems like a good laugh.**


	3. Ruax's Training

**Ashes To Flames**

 **Scoolio: Thanks!**

 **Guest: Ah, no. Raiser isn't losing his peerage. OC will have his own peerage, though they'll be made of some OCs. I don't want to pull a lot of characters from Canon, but I have ideas.**

* * *

Laying in bed, Ruax stared at the ceiling.

"What," he deadpanned. "I fell unconscious for using too much magic in a day? Bullshit."

Sitting up in bed, Ruax created a flame in the palm of his hand. As the fire flickered, he felt pins and needles spread from his wrist to his shoulder before it seized up.

Biting his lip, Ruax winced as he dispersed his magic. Rubbing his now sore arm, he sighed.

"So I have a limit of some sort on my body?" He murmured, looking at his arm. "It's either that, or my body can't handle the power I have."

Groaning, Ruax pulled the sheets off before getting out of bed. Standing still, Ruax felt weak and took a step forward, only to stumble and nearly fall over.

"Great, and I'm weak afterwards. Fantastic."

Pulling himself forwards, Ruax slowly made his way towards his wardrobe. Pulling the door open, he found himself in the same clothes, albeit, without his shoes.

After a few minutes of searching, Ruax found his shoes and slowly pulled them on. Feeling his body refuse to cooperate, Ruax growled and forced himself to move.

'If you can feel pain and still move, then you can keep moving on forwards.'

Ruax's lips curled as he pulled open the door. It was his favourite quote back when he was human. Sure, he made it himself, but it meant a lot to him. It's what got him through all the dark times. Well, that and a certain person...

Closing his door, Ruax looked around and spotted a maid. Making his way over, the maid looked surprised.

"Excuse me," Ruax said as he came to a stop. "Could you please find me my mother and father?"

"Of course, Prince Ruax," the maid said, bowing. "Where should I tell them to find you?"

"I'll wait in my room."

As the maid walked away, Ruax returned to his room. Shutting the door behind him, he nearly collapsed, pain racking his body.

"Pathetic," he hissed through grit teeth.

Slowly, he walked towards his curtains and pulled them open, revealing the Underworld's night sky.

Gazing at it intensely, the dark sky was illuminated by a moon. An artificial moon made solely of demonic energy.

 **Dakun**

Turning around, Ruax walked towards the closing door, his mother and father waiting just beside it.

"Are you alright, Ru-Ru?" Lady Phenex asked, her voice laced with concern. "You've been unconscious for a few hours."

"I'm fine, mother," Ruax reassured her. "I feel fine. I actually called to ask a question about myself."

Ruax's parents looked at each other concerned before nodding.

"What is it, son?"

"It's about my birth," Ruax admitted. "And... this."

Opening his palm, a small orb of golden flames floated into the air, tiny flames licking outwards.

"Ru-Ru!"

"It's fine," Ruax said, stopping Lady Phenex from interrupting his concentration. "This much I know I can handle. I also want to know about these flames, and why they seem to react to my emotions and will. It's natural to me, and honestly? That scares me."

In the eyes of Lord and Lady Phenex, they were worried about their son but also knew why his curiosity reached this far. Who else wouldn't want to know about themselves, especially if they didn't remember anything?

With Ruax on the other hand, his heart was thumping hard against his chest To lie is easy, but to successfully lie is difficult, almost as difficult as acting. And Ruax was no actor, but a 16 year-old teenager in the body of a 7 year-old.

Lady Phenex smiled sadly.

"Of course, sweetie. How about we sit down first?"

Nodding, Ruax made his way towards his bed as his parents smiled at each other, sadness rooted deep in their eyes.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, his parents sat beside him as the golden orb of flames floated over, providing light in the dark room.

"Ruval told me that I was born in a way similar to Satan Lucifer," Ruax began. "Is that true, or...?"

"It's true," Lord Phenex confirmed. "As Sirzechs was born coated in the Power of Destruction, you were born in those flames of yours. Instead of destroying and expanding outwards, however, they coated your body and spread warmth to those around you."

"Is that all?"

"…this was after your birth, but we noticed a pattern that every time you were in a negative mood, your flames represented that mood. Your golden flames would seem more… sinister, if you were angry, or paler and colder when sad."

"That's… unexpected," Ruax murmured as he glanced at his flames. "So they're flames that vary depending on my emotions?"

"They also respond to your willpower," Lord Phenex said. "These golden flames of yours... ...they are unique, and only you can use them."

"What about my birth? What happened during it?"

"As I said earlier, you were born coated in those golden flames before your mother held you close. After that, they disappeared before the doctors scrambled to assess you."

Lord Phenex chuckled as Lady Phenex smiled.

"They thought you were a new Super Devil being born," Lord Phenex continued. "We were hoping for the same, but you only showed a few signs which weren't enough."

"What signs did I show?" Ruax asked. "Actually, what makes a devil a Super Devil?"

"There aren't any official rules," Lord Phenex admitted. "But a devil that is born with abnormal amount of demonic power that surpasses High-Class and sits around Ultimate-Class is generally considered a Super Devil at birth. It also depends on their potential and all that. However, some devils can show signs of power but not be considered Super Devils but reach the point where they are strong enough to be considered one."

"So, devils that pass the boundary of strength that apply to us all are considered Super Devils?"

Lord Phenex nodded.

"Correct. However, there have only been two devils recognised as Super Devils: Sirzechs Lucifer and Ajuka Beelzebub."

Ruax frowned.

"Is there something wrong, Ru-Ru?"

"...its nothing, just thinking," he responded.

'I know Rizevim is a Super Devil as well... Why would he hide this from me? Doesn't he know, or is he trying to protect me?'

Ruax let out a heavy sigh which immediately caught his parents attention.

"Ru-Ru, are you sure you're alright?" Lady Phenex asked, concerned.

"I-I'm alright," Ruax replied with a shaky smile. "It's just... ...learning all this about myself and the potential to be a Super Devil... ...I just don't know what to think..."

Lord Phenex placed his hand on his sons shoulder.

"Rest and think about it," he said. "Whether you choose to unlock your potential in strength or wish for a path in politics, your mother and I will support you the whole way."

"Thanks," Ruax said, smiling tiredly. "I'll take you up on that offer and get some sleep."

Nodding, Lord Phenex stood up as Lady Phenex hugged her son and kissed him on the cheek.

"Sleep well, Ru-Ru," his mother said. "Take your time to think over it."

"I will. Good night, mother, father."

Watching them leave his room, Ruax extinguished the flame before crawling into his bed.

'So now I have a choice. To become strong or choose a more docile path.'

Pulling his blankets on, Ruax sighed, but a sly smile remained.

'I think it's obvious on what path to choose.'

* * *

"I have made my decision."

Three days later and seated at the table, Ruax slowly cut into his breakfast as his mother and father watched him carefully.

"I will become strong enough to control my powers and participate in the rating games," Ruax said confidently. "And, if my brother allows me, I will also like to become the next heir to the Phenex Clan after I return."

Seeing his parents stunned looks, Ruax continued to eat, finishing his meal as he waited for their response.

"I get becoming stronger and participating in the rating games," Lord Phenex began slowly. "But what do you mean by _become the next heir_ _after I return_?"

"I wish to become the next heir to the Phenex Clan after I return from my trip," Ruax said simply. "I intend to travel the world when I'm older in search of strong peerage members so I can compete in the pro league. After that, I wish to become the heir to the family so I can further our reputation in the Underworld."

"Ru-Ru, you..."

"I know I'm young, but please think about my selfish request!"

Ruax bowed his head low, stunning his mother and father even more.

"Ruax, don't you...?"

"Sweetie, raise your head."

Hesitantly, Ruax lifted his head, nervous of their response.

"Sweetie, you are already set to become the next heir," Lady Phenex said, smiling. "Your older brother, Raiser, doesn't wish to be the heir, so it'll be passed onto you when you are of age."

Ruax sat there, stunned.

"And as for traveling the world, I will not allow you to leave until you are ten," Lord Phenex said. "As a devil, our species maturing stage comes much earlier as we are creatures of greed. However, you are simply not strong enough to survive in the human world like this. I won't allow you to leave until you can handle yourself."

Ruax remained silent as his parents shared a quiet laugh together.

"To think that you've already started planning for the future... Heh, you're just like Ruval when he was your age."

Gesturing for a maid to come over, Lord Phenex stood up and made his way towards the exit.

"Dream big, Ruax. I'll be looking forward to what you will achieve."

"I shall take my leave as well," Lady Phenex said. "Ru-Ru, Ruval is currently home if you wish to speak to him. He's in the garden."

Ruax let out a silent gasp.

"R-Right! Thank you, mother!"

Getting out of his seat and running out of the room, Lady Phenex smiled as she delicately placed her fingers on her lips. Her beloved Ru-Ru was growing up. Fast. Just like Ruval.

* * *

Running into the garden, Ruax searched frantically for Ruval.

He wasn't in a wild panic or anything. No, it was much simpler then that, and he knew it. He was simply a child, and so he was excited- a child's joy, you could say. Also, he was nervous. He didn't want to waste this opportunity.

Sprinting past shrubbery and blooming flowers, Ruax found himself at the same bridge he had walked across earlier. Standing there, looking out at the garden, was Ruval, clad in royal blue clothes.

"Ruval!" Ruax managed to say before gasping for breath, still in a weakened condition.

Ruval looked behind him and smiled pleasantly.

"Ruax," he said calmly. "I heard about what happened earlier. I presume you are fine?"

"I'm fine," Ruax said as he stepped beside his brother. "I came to ask of a personal favour."

Ruval raised an eyebrow curiously.

"What is your question, Ruax?"

"I want you to train me," Ruax said bluntly.

Seeing Ruval's eyes flicker in hesitation, he pushed on.

"I remembered something when I woke up," Ruax continued stunning his brother. "I don't blame you for that day. If anything, it would be my fault for letting myself get attacked like that."

Ruval lowered his head, biting his bottom lip.

"It is a disgrace someone as powerful as me failed to protect a younger sibling," Ruval said quietly. "It is dishonourable to me, and to think that I am to be promoted to Ultimate-Class soon as well..."

"I don't care about your honour," Ruax said, bringing Ruval out of his stupor. "Honour is useless on a battlefield. Strength, skill, control and tactics is all that matter. I'm asking you to teach me these. The question is..."

Ruval looked at Ruax and saw someone different standing there, looking him in the eyes as an equal and best friend. In the short glimpse of that man, Ruval closed his eyes and smiled.

'You'll turn out to be a great man in the future, Ruax.'

"So, you want me to train you?"

Ruax instantly noticed his demeanour change, an air of seriousness surrounding him.

"Yes," Ruax replied, his aura changing. "I'll do anything."

"Anything?"

"Anything," Ruval confirmed.

Ruval nodded.

"Very well. In three days time, I will send someone to begin your training."

"You won't train me yourself?"

Ruval chuckled and ruffled Ruax's hair.

"I will one day, little brother," Ruval said. "But for now, you need to learn the basics."

Ruax sighed but nodded his head in acceptance.

"So, where will you be going after this?" Ruax asked.

"I run a company in the human world," Ruval replied, looking out at the garden again. "I have to return shortly to keep it running, but it'll be fine after a few days."

Ruax hummed lightly before slowly nodding his head.

"Could I visit your company one day?" Ruax asked.

"Of course."

Standing in silence, Ruax sighed and began to walk away.

"Three days, little brother. Three days."

"I know."

Ruval watched as Ruax disappeared into the gardens.

"Just like his older brother," he murmured to himself, a smirk slowly forming on his face. "Just like me."

* * *

Doing one-armed push-ups in the dirt, Ruax began to grunt with exertion as he focused on creating magic circles around his body.

"Forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two!"

Three magic circles rotated his body, glowing brightly as Ruax continued.

"Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty-!"

Feeling demonic energy head his way, Ruax created a torrent of flames as he pushed himself to the side.

"Hahaha! Very good, Prince Ruax!"

Crouched, Ruax's eyes narrowed as his flames were violently dispersed, a lone woman walking forwards.

"Are you part of Ruval's peerage?" Ruax asked as he slowly stood, examining her.

Tall and lithe, the woman grinned as she gave Ruax a thumbs up.

"Yep!" She said excitedly, her blonde hair falling across her green eyes. "My name is Jessica! I'm a [Bishop] in service of Ruval Phenex!"

"Bishop?" Ruax asked curiously. "I thought I was being trained in martial arts, unless you don't just focus of magic."

Jessica snapped her fingers.

"Correct! Though I do hold a mutated bishop, I am an expert on martial arts as is everyone else in Ruval's peerage!"

Ruax nodded as he dispersed his magic circles.

"So, where do you want to start?" Ruax asked. "I'm alright with anything."

"We'll start with just fighting," Jessica said as she tied up her hair in a ponytail. "I need to get a grasp on your physical capabilities before we start." Letting her arms drop, she grinned. "Whenever you're ready buddy!"

"...right."

Instead of taking a stance, Ruax began to walk forwards, surprising Jessica before she grinned.

"No stance?" She asked. "Fair enough. Come at me with everything you've got!"

Ruax took a big step before swinging, moving with his punch.

 **SMCK!**

Jessica nodded as she looked at Ruax's fist caught in her palm.

"Good. Keep going!"

Feinting a punch, Ruax shoulder-charged Jessica to only stumble forwards.

"Nice try," she said, grinning. "But not good enough!"

Sighing, Ruax turned around and charged Jessica before taking a deep breath.

 _Huhhhhhhh~_

Instantly, Ruax let loose a barrage of punches in which Jessica blocked or batted away. His fists hitting nothing but air, he growled and increased the intensity of his attacks, no longer worrying about precision.

Swinging wide, Jessica ducked underneath before Ruax brought his elbow down towards her neck.

 **SMACK!**

"Nice! But not good enough!"

Jessica pushed Ruax away as the boy clicked his tongue. Swinging again, his arm was batted away. However, the force of the defence spun the boy around. Instead of trying to back up, Ruax tried to spin with the movement before jumping, aiming his kick for her ribs.

 **SMCK!**

"Try to avoid jumping-attacks," Jessica said, grabbing onto Ruax's legs. "Otherwise this will happen!"

Ruax yelped as he felt himself pulled forwards, sliding on the ground as Jessica hummed in thought.

"Alright, that's enough!"

With a groan, Ruax rubbed the back of his neck as Jessica gave him the thumbs up.

"For your age, you're probably a tad stronger then normal High-Class Devils also your age," Jessica said. "Your punches are fast enough for now but lack precision and control. So, I'll teach you how to do basic martial arts then how to control your strikes!"

Ruax couldn't help the grin spread across his face despite the sigh leaving his mouth.

"Yes Ma'am!"

"That's the spirit!"

* * *

"...I'm so done with myself."

Ruax was sprawled across his bed, face in pillow as he groaned, the day's memories haunting him.

" _What? You scared to hit a girl?"_

" _Grrr, sorry that I'm 'too nice' to hit a girl!"_

" _Bahaha, come on! Just hit me!"_

" _Fine! Yah!"_

" _Hrmmm!~"_

" _. . . . ."_

" _Oh, Prince Ruax! I didn't know you were like that~"_

" _...I... ...uhh... ...s-sorry..."_

Ruax sighed as he felt his face heat up.

Sure, it was an accident, but the feeling of _it_ in his hand...

"Nope nope nope nope!"

Flipping over onto his back, Ruax created golden flames in the palm of his hand and gazed at it. The flame seemed to flicker and shrink in size.

"Great," Ruax muttered. "Even my flames are embarrassed."

Closing his hand, the fire disappeared as Ruax stared at his ceiling in silence.

"...fucking hell, to be limited by something such as that... ...I need more confidence..."

* * *

Sweat coated his body as he continued his daily training.

 **SHIN! SHIN! SHIN! SHIN!**

"...forty-nine... ...fifty... ...fifty-one..."

Continuing his push-ups, Ruax closed his eyes as he concentrated, focusing on the magic circles surrounding him.

Five. That was his new limit whilst training. Creating them was easy, but using his willpower to keep them active and useable? It was a strain on his mind, but that's why he kept pushing himself. To get better. To be stronger. If he couldn't create them like second-nature, then they'd be useless.

Coming out of his push-ups, Ruax could feel his head begin to burn from the strain of sustaining the magic circles.

His magic reserves for his age were impressive, even better then that of a Gremory. However, whilst having mastery over fire, air and flying, his magic skills in every other aspect were lacking.

Standing up, sweat dripping down his face, Ruax panted as he grinned.

"Crimson Pillar!"

Slamming his fist into the ground, pillars of fiery red erupted into the sky, intense heat beginning to burn the surroundings to a crisp. Looking up slowly, Ruax's chest heaved quickly, his breathing coming out as quick pants.

Slowly straightening up, Ruax watches as leaves from nearby trees were sent flying into the sky, only to fall back to the ground as they slowly burnt to a crisp.

 _SNAP!_

Clicking his fingers, the pillars of flame disappeared as Ruax let out a weary sigh. Glancing around at where his magic circles were, Ruax grinned as he looked at the incinerated ground, black dust swirling around as the area began to slowly cool down.

Taking slow, deep breaths, Ruax created five magic circles again as he held himself tall.

"Now," He huffed, smiling like an idiot. "What happens... if I try... with my gold flames...?"

Snapping his fingers, five pillars of golden, flowing energy exploded towards the sky. As the five pillars of gold mana glimmered, Ruax closed his eyes and concentrated.

. . .

. .

.

"Golden Pillar!"

The five pillars of gold light erupted out in golden flames, bathing the area in a warm yet powerful light. Opening his eyes, Ruax shakily laughed, even as his body began to shake violently.

 **FWOOSH!**

"Gck!"

Ruax's eyes widened as he fell forwards, body paralysed. Landing face-first in the ground, Ruax's mouth was agape, eyes wide in panic and sudden fear as he lay there, unmoving.

His body was cold, as if Medusa turned him to pure stone. His veins lacked blood; energy of both types failing to sustain his body.

His fingers scrabbled into the ground, knees slightly buckling, toes twitching.

Feeling, pins and needles, sharp pain, sudden bright light.

 **GASP!**

 _ **BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!**_

"Ffaaarrhhh!"

Ruax gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently as he propped himself up onto his arms. Saliva slowly dropped from the corner of his curled lips, his eyes still wide and shaky.

"W-What the actual fuck? I was s-s-stuck a-and then... huhhh?"

Slowly, the young Phenex boy climbed to his feet, his limbs still shaking as his panting grew lighter. Quickly, he recovered and stood straight, his face gleaned in sweat as his eyes became dimmer – a pale gold.

"...taking a wild guess here, but these flames..."

His hands bursting in flames, Ruax slowly raised them to his face, the fire coating them.

"I can't control them."

Slowly, he clenched his fists, the warm burning flames transforming into flickering fire, brighter and purer then any other gold. A pure form of energy.

Slowly, he could feel his power leaving him, and quickly extinguished his fire.

"These golden flames of mine... they are powerful, yes, but they limit me. I can use normal fire limitlessly with my mana pool. My gold flames have a strain on me, and it's like they're missing something, but I don't know what."

Standing in silence, Ruax's lips circled as he chuckled.

"Wow," Ruax grinned. "I'm such a nerd, analysing my own power. Still, it'll help in the future to know what it is and how to use it. Maybe I'll unlock something akin to a Balance Breaker? What was it called? True Form?"

Feeling his energy fully return, Ruax sighed and glanced at his seven-year-old body.

"Maybe, when the time comes, my body will be able to withstand its power, but for now..."

Ruax turned away from the training field and walked towards the Phenex Mansion in the distance.

"I need to train myself in every aspect possible. I need to become stronger then Him."

"...I need to be stronger then me."


	4. Points of Interest

**Ashes To Flames**

" _I need to train myself in every aspect possible. I need to become stronger then Him."_

" _...I need to be stronger then me."_

* * *

"Oh, you're back."

"It's nice to see you as well, Lord O-."

"None of that, none of that. Come, have a seat."

"Oho, you've found another one?"

* * *

"Big Sister, where are we going?"

"We need to leave, Si. We aren't safe anymore."

 **FWOOOOOOOSSSHHHHHHHHH**

"Tsk. Si, start running."

* * *

 **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM**

"Maria, run!"

"MOTHER!"

"Run damnit!"

 **FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSHHHHH**

"Hahaha! That easy?"

"YOU MONSTER!"

 **SHIN! ZHIN! ZHIN! ZHIN! SHIN! ZHIN!**

"...m-mother..."

* * *

"Drink it. Anymore of that wine shit and I'll lock you up."

"...y-yes, brother."

"Good. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll have eternal glory."

"...sure..."

"Ehh? What was that you little shit?"

* * *

"Man, and I thought L.A sucked."

"Don't pass out on me man! Come on, we're nearly there!"

"...hahhhh, I can't feel my arms."

"FFUUUUCCCKKKK! COME ON DAMNIT! WHERE ARE THE GODS WHEN YOU NEED THEM? WHY ARE THEY ALL SO FUCKING USELESS?!"

 **KKAAAAAA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM**

* * *

"That makes twenty-one."

"Good job. Now, have you extracted all the venom from them?"

"Not yet, father."

"Good. For now, you can keep working on that... thing, you've made."

"Thank you, father. I shall be back."

"Hmm, yes. Take your time."

* * *

 **Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!**

"Here, here, here annndd-,"

 **THWACK!**

"Here."

"Impressive, Ruax. You can hit four bullseyes with darts."

Ruax scoffed as he stepped forwards. Grabbing a dart from America, Europe, Norway and Australia, the boy casually tossed them at Ruval who caught them effortlessly.

"Anyway, those are the main places I want to visit before Japan," Ruax said, creating a fireball.

Ruval sighed as Ruax burnt the map to a crisp, cinders falling to the dirt floor, the Underworld sky shining down on them.

"Anything else you wish to tell me?" Ruval asked. "I'm on limited time at the moment."

"That's all."

In a flash of flames, Ruval disappeared as Ruax sighed before looking up at the sky.

"Well, that's that. Back to training."


	5. The Human World

**Ashes To Flames**

* * *

In the coming months of adjusting to his new life, Ruax never-stopped learning. He learned from his father how to act and treat others as a High-Class Devil and what to do. He learned how politics worked, the current leaders and their political backings, how to build relationships and how to efficiently finish paper-work and the sort.

From his mother, he learned how to create Phoenix Tears and the magic process in order to finish the process. He learned how they can be quickly created but have a 50/50 chance of working, or be properly created for a 100% guarantee but take a long time. He learned how to treat a lady and how to flatter women. He learnt that despite all the information his mother drilled into his head to treat a lady, it just wouldn't stick, so he just smiled and nodded.

From Ruval, his older brother, he learnt many a thing. One was that he was refused to teach him personally. Instead, he'd send a devil to train him. From said devil, he would learn martial arts with brute strength before being taught how to control his strikes. From this training alone, he learned how to control his body and how to apply power and pressure to certain parts.

...well, as best as a 7-year-old child could.

Having finished his 50-K jog around the estate, Ruax came to a stop in the garden. The garden was a lavish area of beautiful plants, and the ponds and extra ornaments only increased this beauty. It was kept so well that it was always in prime condition, never wilting or showing a sign of dying soon.

Checking the silver watch on his wrist, Ruax frowned at the time.

|9:01|

"Ruval should be here already," Ruax murmured as he scratched his head.

"And I am here, little brother."

Turning around, Ruax scowled as Ruax smiled at him.

"You said you'd train me a few weeks ago," Ruax said, his scowl disappearing. "Instead, you sent someone else to train me."

"The person training you was from my peerage," Ruval replied as he gestured forwards. "Come, let's go for a walk."

Grumbling, Ruax complied as Ruval handed him a towel. Taking it, the boy wiped the sweat from his body before placing it around his neck.

"...Ruax, why do you think I refuse to train you and continuously send Jess instead?" Ruval asked as they crossed a small bridge.

Looking at the crystal-clear pond, Ruax sighed.

"Because you feel guilty for letting me get attacked?" Ruval flinched as Ruax shrugged. "It's not your fault, though I suppose you wouldn't be over it yet." Seeing Ruval's questioning look, Ruax merely faced forwards and kept walking as his brother stood on the bride. "I asked mother and father. They told me, and I don't blame you."

"...right."

As Ruval caught up, they walked in time with each other as they explored the gardens, the plants slowly changing from exotic plant to exotic plant.

"...I'm happy that I'm receiving training at all," Ruax finally spoke as they turned a corner. "I was just hoping that I'd get to spend more time with you." Glancing at Ruval, Ruax saw in his body-language and eyes his feelings: guilt. Of course, he only saw this because Ruval could relax around family. "Anyway, I'll forgive you for this, but..."

"But what?"

Walking out of the garden, they stopped outside the Phenex mansion as they faced each other.

"I want to learn to control my magic and become stronger," Ruax said bluntly. "I don't want to be lumped in with other High-Class Devils because of my rank. I refuse to be weak, and I plan on dominating the rating games."

Ruval stared at Ruax before chuckling.

"I can't believe it," he managed to say after controlling his laughter. "You sound like someone I know."

Ruax tilted his head.

"Who?"

Ruval grinned and turned around, walking towards the doors to the mansion.

"You sound like me when I was younger."

Ruax blinked.

"Huh?"

* * *

Ruax sighed with relief as he sat down in the lavish room, his hair finally dry. The maids still insisted on helping him despite his complaints. At this point, he was at the point where he gave up and let them just do what they want after he had a shower and/or bath and got changed. And somehow, they still found things to do beyond that. Ruax couldn't understand how they did it.

"Ready little brother?"

Ruax sighed and nodded.

"Sure," he replied.

Ruval smiled and leaned forwards in his seat.

"I've seen some of the books you've asked for," Ruval said. "I'm guessing you know the basic principles of demonic magic?"

Ruax nodded.

"I can control fire, wind and fly," Ruax answered. "I'm fine with those for the moment, but I'm having trouble doing anything else with demonic magic."

"An example?"

Ruax held out his hand before a fiery magic circle with the symbol of the Phenex Clan embedded in it appeared. As it swirled chaotically, Ruval stood up and touched the circle with his hand.

"Hmm, it seems you aren't cut out for defensive magic," Ruval said.

"Why's that?"

"Your circle was strong, but it was too chaotic," Ruval replied before casting his own magic circle. "See the difference?"

Ruax looked at both and nodded.

"Mine looks more like it's for offense, not defence."

"Exactly!"

Ruax scratched his jaw in thought as Ruval sat back down.

"...well, how about this for an idea?"

Ruval looked at his brother curiously.

"What is it?"

"How about using offensive magic for defence?" Seeing Ruval gesture to go on, he continued. "You said I'm not cut out for defensive magic. Then, how about using my magic to cancel out the other attack?"

"Like the Belial Clan trait Worthlessness?"

Ruax shook his head.

"No, not like that." He frowned before clicking his fingers. "It's more like... ...okay, take this for an example. Somebody shoots and orb of demonic energy at me. Instead of casting a defensive shield, blocking or dodging, I attack back with... okay, let's say flames, and my flames overpower and destroy the attack."

"Oh, so just overpowering the attack?" Ruval rubbed his jaw in thought. "It can work, but you would have to expend lots of demonic energy for just defending yourself."

"It's possible to control demonic energy with our minds, isn't it?" Ruax created a flame in his palm as it flickered. "I mean, we create and mould our attacks with our minds, so why can't we control them?"

"You would have to have great control over your mind and mental prowess," Ruval responded as he created orbs of fire. They all began to dance in the palm of his hand, moving independently and never hitting another flame. "It'd take a while for you to get used to, and even longer to master, but it'd be worth it in the long run."

Ruax nodded as their flames dissipated.

"Alright, I can work on that," he said as he stood up. "We have a training area here, don't we?"

"There's an area in the garden we use," Ruval said. "Would you like to teleport there, or walk?"

"Walk," Ruax responded. "I'd like to see something new for a change."

Ruval chuckled as he stood up.

"Oh yes," he said. "I know."

* * *

Standing opposite of each other on dirt ground, Ruax inspected the training grounds. The area was a large, rectangular patch of dirt surrounded by hedges. He had asked about the plants, but was reassured that there were magic circles that stopped anything outside the area from being destroyed.

"Ready to go, little brother?"

Ruax took a deep breath before smiling.

"Of course, brother."

Splaying his hands, golden flames appeared, burning brightly and fiercely. Ruval scoffed and mirrored his actions, the flames twice as large.

Grinning, Ruax concentrated before two wings of flame bursted out from his back. As the eagle-like wings unfurled, the fierce golden flames reached past a meter long each.

Ruval raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Your stronger then I thought," he said. "I thought your wings would barely be a meter."

Ruax threw a fireball as he smiled.

"Yeah, they were barely a meter a couple of months ago," he admitted. "But I've been training with what I know every day whenever I can. If I didn't, I doubt I'd be able to be able to do this."

Ruval smiled.

"Well, come on then," Ruval said as he gestured Ruax towards him. "Show me what you've got."

Walking forwards, Ruax began running at speeds too fast for a human his size to achieve. Ruval frowned as his little brother approached him.

 _ **FYOOOOOMMM**_

Ruax grinned as he darted forwards, his wings propelling him forwards in a sudden burst. Doing as his martial arts instructor showed him, Ruax punched forwards, his fist coated in golden flames as he adjusted for his follow-up attack.

Blocking his fist with his forearm, Ruval batted away the follow up strike and dropped to the ground, sweeping Ruax's legs from underneath him.

As he fell, Ruax concentrated, his wings glowing brighter in response. Before Ruval could strike, a flash wave of flames blinded him as Ruax flapped his wings, bringing himself back to his feet.

Standing silently, Ruval smiled as Ruax grinned. The man and boy of the Phenex Clan stared at each other; one tall and the other short.

Taking a deep breath, Ruax coated his arms in flames before sweeping his arms in front of him. Two waves of flames erupted outwards. Clicking, a gust of wind surrounded Ruval, dispersing the flames around his body.

Dodging to the side, Ruval watched as Ruax stumbled forwards, over-extending his punch. As he tried to recover, Ruval grabbed his wing and yanked on it, pulling him close.

Frozen in place, Ruax watched as Ruval's hand stopped in front of his face, a burst of wind pushing his hair backwards. Panting slightly, Ruax felt his wings retract as Ruval released him.

"You're doing extremely well for your age," Ruval remarked. "Especially with those flames of yours. I heard that from Father that they weren't feasible for combat, and yet here we are."

"And you're still holding back," Ruax retorted. "Make this more challenging for me, otherwise then what's the point?"

"Hmmm, no, not yet," Ruval replied, smiling. "Maybe when you're older."

. . .

"How about now?"

"Patience, Ruax."

. .

"Now?"

"Still not good enough."

.

"Alright, how about now?"

Ruval sighed.

"Ruax, you've asked me this for the past three years," Ruval said exasperated.

"And you've refused stubbornly for those three years," Ruax snapped back. "I'm ten now and leaving soon! Why can't you just take me seriously for once in your life?"

"Because if I took you seriously, then we wouldn't be having this talk."

Ruax just sighed.

"Whatever, I'm done trying with you."

Three years had passed, and Ruax was significantly stronger then before. He was incredibly smart, incredibly fit and incredibly dangerous for his age.

His golden flames were under his partial control. He hasn't mastered them, but he had an expert control now... and he didn't fatigue as fast either.

His relationship was strong with Lord and Lady Phenex, his adorable little sister Ravel he constantly doted on, Ruval was close and Raiser was...

...well, Raiser.

By all terms, be wasn't a bad person. Raiser cared deeply for his family, and Ruax was no exception. The only thing with Raiser was his lack of self-morals.

Issei had a set rule of morals he always followed with women. Raiser, being a pure-blooded noble devil, really didn't.

Walking away, Ruval sighed.

"You know you're going with me to the human world, right?"

"I know," Ruax replied, waving as he left. "I'm gonna go get ready."

Ruval just sighed again and waved him off before looking over the garden once more.

"Time goes so fast," he murmured, a small smile on his face. "But I guess it's not a bad thing in this case."

* * *

"Card, duffel bag with clothes and shoes. I think that's everything."

Ruax zipped close the bag and sighed.

"I suppose if I ever need anything desperately, I can always come back."

Ruax glanced at his room before walking out, leaving it cloaked in darkness.

"Latisha," Ruax said as he motioned towards one of the maids. "Could you please take me to mother and father please?"

"Of course, Prince Ruax. If you will please follow me."

Following the maid through the mansion, time blurred past as the boy found himself standing outside his father's study. Knocking on the door as Latisha left, Ruax entered the room with the duffel bag on his shoulder.

 **Dakun**

Stepping forwards, Ruax waited patiently as Lord Phenex signed off a paper, Lady Phenex standing beside him. Eventually, Lord Phenex sighed with relief before standing up.

"Son," Lord Phenex said, a sad smile gracing his features. "Are you still insistent on leaving?"

"Yes, father."

"Are you sure you won't change your mind?"

"I'll leave for this trip, regardless of whether you agree or not, father."

Lord Phenex sighed as he walked around his desk before coming to a stop in front of Ruax.

"I won't stop you," he said softly. "But promise to maintain your honour and dignity at all times."

"I won't tarnish the Phenex Clan's reputation, if that's what you mean," Ruax replied. "...but I won't do anything stupid."

"That's good enough for me."

Lord Phenex bent down slightly and embraced Ruax in a one-armed hug before stepping back.

"Ru-Ru."

Ruax looked at his mother as she knelt down and grabbed his hand, placing her own on top.

"Promise me," she said, her voice soft. "Promise me that you'll come home safe."

"Mother, I promise to come safe and sound," Ruax said, placing his other hand on top of hers. "And I'll tell you about everything that happened."

"Ru-Ru..."

Ruax leaned forwards and hugged his mother as she sniffled.

"No matter what happens, I'll make sure to come home, mother."

Eventually, Ruax and Lady Phenex parted.

As they stepped back, Ruax stood straight as he faced his parents.

"Well, I guess I'm off now," Ruax said happily. "Mother, father, I'll come back as a man you can be proud of!"

"Stay safe, Ruax."

"I love you, Ru-Ru!"

"I love you too, mother, father!"

Leaving the room, the two Phenex's sighed as they heard Ruax run off.

"I worry about him at times," Lord Phenex muttered, rubbing his head. "But that boy of mine will come back stronger then ever."

"Just like Ruval?"

"Just like Ruval."

The two adults shared a quiet laugh together before returning to their work.

* * *

"Welcome to L.A little brother."

Loud, obnoxious and always alive is what Ruax would say to describe L.A. Despite being at his brothers company on the highest level, everything on the ground reached his ears. He would say it was like music to his ears, but it was the complete opposite. It was a harsh screech that just annoyed him.

"I hate this place already," Ruax complained.

"Your smile speaks otherwise, Ruax."

Ruval sighed as Ruax looked around in wonder.

"If you have everything, feel free to go and explore to your delight. You're strong enough to defend yourself against normal humans, but don't go overboard."

"Yes dad, geeze."

A fiery magic circle appearing beneath his feet, Ruax grinned.

"Seeya Ruval!"

"Have fun little brother."

Disappearing in a column of fire, Ruval immediately raised his hand to his ear, a magic circle forming.

"You know what to do," Ruval said. "Make sure nothing happens."

"Of course, Lord Ruval."

 **SHIN**

* * *

[AN]:

If it isn't obvious, the previous chapter was just a tiny filler.

Now, I'm not starting off with the whole God power level thing. I personally believe that God is nowhere near as strong as everyone makes him out to be. Sure, he was powerful, but that does't mean he's ranked 4th in the top ten underneath Great Red, Ophis, etc. I don't see that. I could go on a for a full essay, but right now I'm just not cut out for it.

Now, sorry for the delay. The chapters are small and barely reach past 5,000 when put all together. I couldn't find (bother) to make it all into one. so this works well like this.

Also, don't expect fast updates either. I usually work by doing a couple hundred words a week or mash it all out in a couple of hours or a day due to inspiration. It all depends, but I'm just not feeling writing at the moment.

Anyway, hope you all have a good day. I'm tired.

\- Striderm8

Love you all


	6. First Stop: America!

**Ashes To Flames**

* * *

"This place is loud."

Ruax sighed as he looked around, leaning against a wall.

All around him, people traversed the paths. People walked with purpose, people walked blindly, looking at their phones. People trudged along slowly and people gasped, looking at the sights around them. He couldn't blame them, of course.

Everything was beautiful in its own unique way. The occasional hot-dog stand with the cheerful, pot-bellied man laughing, the small but cozy cafes filled with friends catching up….

…well, that's what Ruax assumed was going on.

Reaching into his pocket, Ruax felt his wallet and nodded.

"Alright, time to go explore America."

Taking a step onto the pathway, Ruax quickly adjusted his flow, making it match the others around him.

"Omg Tracey, did you see that guy?"

"He's so hot!"

"Shh! Keep it down, or he'll hear you!"

Ruax smirked as he ignored the girls chatter, fine-tuning his devil senses.

'So, my glamour is working, huh? I knew learning some illusion magic was worth it. And it seems that the traffic isn't killing my ears anymore either. Perfect.'

Looking down at his wrist, a silver watch rested there, touched by a long-sleeved, button-up white shirt. A simple black vest buttoned up completed his look alongside black pants and shoes.

Running a hand through his luscious hair, Ruax grinned.

"Time to go have some fun."

 _Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud!_

Feeling a weak source of magic nearby, Ruax looked around and noticed two teenagers slumped against a stone wall. Moving to the wall, Ruax frowned as he felt a certain aura around them, despite their ripped clothing and haggard expressions.

"Hey, you two alright?" Ruax asked, crouching down in front of the two.

Getting no response from the two, Ruax sighed and reached into his pocket.

"I know I shouldn't use them, but these guys look like they're about to die," he murmured to himself.

Pulling out a simple vial, Ruax uncapped the lid and cupped one of the teenager's chin. Feeling no resistance, Ruax frowned and poured a few drops into his mouth, watching as he weakly swallowed.

"Hey, can you talk now?" Ruax asked as life slowly returned to the teenager's eyes, his wounds slowly disappearing.

"W-Who the hell are you?" He asked in a weak croak, his dirty brown hair covering his eyes.

"The name's R," Ruax replied. "I saw you two being ignored by everybody around. What happened"

The boy looked away, casting his look down at the ground.

"Pissed off the wrong person," he replied. "Bit off more then we could chew."

Ruax scratched his chin as he examined the teenager.

"Are you by chance a demigod?"

The teen instantly tensed up, only to slump further into the ground.

"I-I guess He sent you then."

Ruax shook his head as he sat down cross-legged.

"I'm not from _Him_ , who I'm guessing is a bad guy," Ruax said. "I'm a devil from the underworld."

The teenager's laughter came out harsh.

"So, you gonna take my soul now, huh?"

Ruax frowned.

"That's not how our society works anymore. Besides, I was just wondering if you need any help."

Glancing at the other teenager, Ruax reached forwards and tipped the rest of the vial inside his mouth. Watching carefully, the other teenager spluttered to life, color returning to his cheeks.

"Who the hell are you?"

Ruax chuckled as the blonde glared at him.

"Funny, your friend asked me the same thing."

Getting to his feet, Ruax patted himself down as the two teenagers looked up at him.

"You two look like shit," Ruax said, grinning. "And since you both owe me now, mind showing me to a good place for food?"

The two teens stood up, dusting themselves off.

"I ain't paying," one said, holding his wallet upside down.

"My money got liquefied," the other said.

"I'll pay," Ruax said. "But first, you two need to clean up."

* * *

Ruax whistled as the two teens sat down, no longer covered in dirt and grime and in new clothes.

"Don't you two look hot."

The brunette had messy hair with glasses, his hazel eyes warm as he scoffed.

"How much money do you have, to just waste it like this?" He asked.

Ruax grinned.

"Don't worry about it, Nick. Besides, you look fine with jeans and a brown hoodie."

"Hmph, I guess you're alright for a spoiled brat."

Ruax just smiled as he faced Cody.

"At least you look presentable now," Ruax replied, earning a glare. "Anyway, I just got you guys burgers. The food should be here soon."

"Here is your order, sir."

"Thank you," Ruax said as the waitress left. "Anyway, eat while we talk. I've got some things to ask about."

Nick shrugged and bit into his burger as Cody shoved the whole thing into his mouth before swallowing.

"Unnecessary," Ruax replied before sighing. "Anyway, who is your godly parent?"

"Hades," Nick said. "I'm half Grim-Reaper, half-human. Don't ask how, I don't know either. Shit happened, beats me."

Ruax glanced at Cody.

"What about you?" He asked.

"Zeus," Cody said, his mouth full of food.

"…okay then."

Ruax sighed and ate his burger, rubbing his forehead.

"So, what's a devil doing in New York?" Nick asked, idly picking at his chips.

"Sightseeing," Ruax replied. "Who did you guys piss off?"

Cody sneered as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"Jackass who stole my sis," Cody growled. "The piece of shit couldn't stop gloating."

Nick sighed as Ruax finished his burger.

"Oh yeah, what's his name?"

"It's a dick from that famous media company. Blonde, popular; a fucking pretty boy through and through!"

"The guys name is Richard," Nick said. "Here, I got a picture of him."

Passing a photo over, Ruax flinched as he saw the man in the picture.

"I-I see," Ruax replied, eyebrow twitching. "So, you're sure it's this guy?"

"Definitely."

Ruax deflated in his seat and lazily slurped his drink.

"Anyway, why do you have a picture of him?"

"Tsk! Jackass left it behind after I caught him talking to my sisl! Just thinking about it makes me pissed!"

Ruax's eyes narrowed as he felt Cody's power increase with his anger.

"Well, I've paid and eaten, so I'll be leaving now." Ruax flashed a smile. "Seeya."

"Seeya R," Nick replied.

Ruax nodded as he stood up and left.

"What do you think of R?" Nick asked.

"Seems like a jerk," Cody replied. "But a good person? Whatever, I don't give a fuck regardless. I'm killin that bastard."

Ruax sighed as he walked away, tuning out from the world.

'Ehh, so that's what they think of me? Whatever.'

* * *

"Dude, why the fuck are we following this guy?"

"We have nothing on this 'R' guy. I'd rather not be killed by him later."

Cody growled as Nick adjusted his glasses, the two demigods following 'R'.

Making sure they weren't noticed, Nick walked forwards with Cody following close behind as they left the city. The noise and constant movement of the city slowly began to fade away as they moved further and further away, time passing quickly.

"Stop," Nick whispered, holding his arm out. "Right in front of us."

Crouched, they watched 'R' walk onto the beach, the evening sky casting brilliant shades of colour over the beach.

"Demigod Peter," R said. "After countless warnings and an ample amount of time to stop, you continue to steal from _that_ business. So, as punishment, you will face death."

"Filthy scum. The Lord shall smite you filthy devil with his holy strike!"

R sighed.

"Well, here goes nothing. Moving to eliminate."

 _ **FWOOOOOOOOSSHHHHH**_

"Where'd he go?" Cody whispered. "He was just her-"

"There," Nick said, pointing at the demigod. "Right there."

Pulling out his phone, Cody remained silent as Nick began to record the fight.

"Heathen, die in the name of the Lord! Holy Smite!"

"There's no point in shouting your attacks. You're just leaving yourself open."

 _ **SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN SHIN**_

"E-Eight magic circles? Y-You monster."

"I'll entertain you. Try and dodge."

 _ **FWOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHHH**_

"T-That's insane."

"Raw magic power at its finest," Nick murmured. "R must be talented to have this sort of control over his magic."

'R' smirked as his magic circles disappeared, the surrounding land scorched. Suddenly, R blurred before disappearing, the demigod appearing where he just was.

"I can't see them," Cody grumbled. "But that jerk is dangerous."

"Agreed."

R blocked multiple attacks and returned the favor, the demigod taking each hit. Fire burst out from each attack from R, and with each connected blow, the demigod seemed to lose more strength.

"Enough! This ends now!"

"Holy. Shit."

Nick nodded.

"We should probably move. As in now."


	7. Confusion

**Ashes To Flames**

 **Chapter updated to be more coherent, or whatever the word is.**

* * *

Ruax blocked another punch with his forearm before countering. As his strike connected, Ruax blasted the demigod in the face with a stream of fire before jumping backwards, leaving his enemy screaming as his flames scorched him.

'It's strange,' Ruax thought to himself as he dodged a blast of water. 'I thought demigods were powerful. Have they gotten weaker in this world or I have been reading too much Rick Riordan? Or did that training actually pay off?'

Lost in thought, Ruax felt something tap his chest.

"Hah! How's that feel you dirty heathen?"

Ruax brushed aside his fist and slammed his own into the demigod's face, drawing blood.

"Didn't even feel it."

Leaning forwards, Ruax darted towards the demigod before slamming his elbow into his face. The demigod slid backwards as Ruax sighed.

"To be honest, I was expecting more resistance from you. But then again, I've been at this for a bit over three years now."

"B-Blasphemous heathen! I will sacrifice myself to rid this earth of the devil!"

Ruax raised a brow as the demigod – clothes covered in blood and dirt – began to chant, waving his hands in the air.

"If I could say one thing about Americans, it's that they're crazy."

Ruax stood there, unfazed, as water pooled around him, moving at dangerous speeds as it emerged from thin air.

"Seriously though," Ruax continued, the water moving faster and faster. "Why are demi-gods so hostile to me?"

"Evil spawn of the devil himself," the teenager spat. "Return to whence you came!"

"Oh, he's Catholic. Or Christian?"

"Die!"

Clapping, the water instantly covered Ruax, shredding his body to pieces as it vaporised. Watching the water pulse dangerously, the demi-god laughed, his attack dispersing, leaving behind the tattered remains of Ruax.

"Take that you filthy devil! Muhahaha!"

"Seriously, talk about E-Grade villainy. My grandma could do a better job then that."

Wisps of flames glowed brightly mid-air before quickly taking the form of a young boy. Fully outlining the body, the flames dispersed, leaving behind a fully clothed Ruax in his original form.

"Now, while that hurt, that was pretty pathetic," Ruax said, frowning. A line of blood made its way down his face. "You're better off shooting me with a light gun."

"But then again, I'll probably take that light gun from you if you tried, soooo..."

"W-What? How are you alive?"

"Regeneration," Ruax replied. "I used my demonic powers to heal my body."

"But I vaporized you!"

" _Shredded_ , not vaporized. There's a difference buddy. If you had vaporized me... well, I would have to undergo some _painful_ surgery."

Ruax held out his hand and splayed his palm.

"Seeya bud."

A pillar of flames erupted from Ruax's palm, a swirling inferno of crimson swallowing the teenager before dispersing.

"Flames to ashes, ashes to flames…" Ruax sighed, rubbing his wrists. "How did I end up doing this again?"

 **SHIN**

"Did you deal with them, Ruax?"

Ruax sighed.

"Yes, I did, Ruval," Ruax replied, looking at the magic circle. "Now, can I go back?"

"Sure."

 **SHIN**

Ruax sighed again, his brother disappearing.

'To think I'd be asked to kill a demi-god a day after being in America... ...this is ridiculous. What will the Gods think of this?'

Teleporting back to the city, Ruax scratched the back of his head, his glamour reactivating as the bustling crowds welcome him without question. One good thing he had learned about America: no one gives a fuck.

'Ruax, I need you to kill this stray demi-god outside the city,' Ruax quoted Ruval's words. 'He's been killing humans and thieving from my business for the past months. I've given him multiple warnings in the past, and he has ignored them all. Also, he's a raving lunatic, and I'm too busy to get rid of him.'

Ruax shook his head and let out a heavy sigh.

"Sorry demigod, but you were a danger to everyone."

Walking with the crowd on pavement, Ruax balled his hands into fists.

'To think that I've already killed someone and I don't feel anything... ...am I turning into a... monster? ...no, that's not it... ...it must be because I was reborn as a devil... ...yeah, that's it...'

The devil sighed.

'This isn't good for my mental health at all...'

Turning a corner, the Phenex Heir felt a weak mana source following him and frowned. Walking into a random store, Ruax ducked into a corner as a young girl walked in before looking around.

'The hell's a girl following me for?'

Running a hand through his hair, the devil sighed and stepped towards the child.

"E-Excuse me, are you R?"

Ruax nodded at the young girl with dirty blonde hair.

A pulse of mana rippled from Ruax's body, spreading throughout the surroundings before disappearing.

"I am R," Ruax said, detecting nothing nearby. "Did Nick or Cody send you?"

The girl's eyes widened at the mention of Cody, making the glamoured boy frown.

"Follow me," Ruax said, taking her hand.

Pulling her out of the store and into an alleyway, the devil cast an illusion, making them invisible to the outside world.

"Don't panic," Ruax said gently. "I'm going to take you somewhere safe, okay?"

The girl nodded as a magic circle activated. Teleporting into Ruval's business tower, the boy immediately deactivated his glamour as they sat down.

The girl let out a gasp of surprise, falling backwards into a lavish couch.

"Y-You're my age?" She stuttered, clutching a red pillow. "P-Please don't hurt me, M-Mr Devil!"

Ruax chuckled, ignoring the white and red scheme of the penthouse. Instead, he leaned forwards and smiled.

"Such nice manners to a devil," he said softly. "Could I know your name?"

The girl shook her head, holding the pillow tight.

"How about I tell you my real name first," Ruax said gently, still smiling. "Will you tell me yours in return?"

The girl hesitated before slowly nodding. Ruax nodded and leaned back in his seat.

"My real name is Rai," Ruax said. "I was born in Japan, hence my strange name. How about you?"

"K-Kim. M-My name is Kim."

Ruax nodded.

"Why were you looking for me, Kim?" The boy asked, relaxing in his seat. "The only people who know me here are Nick and Cod-"

She flinched.

"-y."

Ruax's eyes narrowed, his mouth forming a thin line as his mind went into overdrive.

'Abuse? Sexual Assault? Regardless, she's been hurt in some way.'

"Kim," Ruax said seriously. "Do you get... abused, by somebody?"

Kim froze in her seat before trembling violently. Quickly, Ruax moved over, wrapping his arms around the girl.

"Hey, it's alright," he murmured, rubbing her back. "Whoever it is, they can't hurt you here. You're safe."

Ruax waited patiently, letting the worst out of the little girl's system as she choked on tears. Eventually, after minutes which felt like hours, Kim spoke, her voice raspy.

"I-It's my brother," she choked out. "M-My brother, Cody," – Ruax's eyes narrowed -, "h-hurts me whenever I don't follow him."

Ruax felt anger boil within him but kept it hidden under the surface. Anger was a useful tool, and one never came across righteous anger often.

"Cody says he is a demigod," Ruax said slowly, still comforting the girl. "Do you know who his godly parent is by chance?"

"Cody claims that our daddy is Zeus," Kim managed to say. Wiping her tears away, she put on a brave face. "I love daddy, but he never visits. I can't say the same for C-Cody though."

Ruax nodded, rubbing his chin absentmindedly. Standing up, Kim immediately tensed as Ruax let her go.

"I'm going to go out for a bit," Ruax said softly, smiling. "You can stay here if you want. I promise you that it's safe here."

"S-Sure."

Ruax nodded again before firing off a lazy salute.

"I'll be back soon, m'lady."

As his teleport circle began to activate, Kim giggled as a flash of light filled the room before Ruax disappeared.

Immediately, a door slammed open as Nick and Cody entered the room.

"Finally, that devil left. I can't believe that slimy bastard tried to take my own sister away from me. He must be in league with that Richard bastard."

Kim paled as Cody slowly approached, his face contorted into a snarl.

"Well, what should we do now?"

"Now? That sunavabitch gonna get the beatdown of his life when he gets back."

Letting out a silent sigh, Ruax stopped using his enhanced senses and instead carefully watched. Nick was looking around, hands in pockets as he examined the objects in the room. Cody was tearing through the kitchen, pulling out sweets and drinks before chowing down. Kim was silent, shaking in her boots.

'Gotta contact Ruval somehow,' Ruax thought as his fingers twitched.

Creating a miniature magic circle, Ruax silently sighed as he hid the fiery circle in his hand.

"Ruax? What do you need?" Ruval asked, his voice blaring out like a megaphone.

"And there goes the element of surprise," Ruax growled, clenching his fist and breaking the connection off.

Creating a normal teleportation circle, Ruax pushed himself through it just as the door was slammed open.

"Where?" Cody snarled, only to growl as a hand flipped him off before disappearing. "Bitch! Two can play at that game!"

Cody reached for the hand and grabbed it.

"Gotcha!"

Ruax sighed and clicked his fingers, cutting off the circle. The devil winced as Cody screamed, tossing aside the severed hand.

"Now, why are you two in my apartment for?"

Ruax created a teleport circle and pushed Kin through, sending her somewhere safer before cutting off the connection.

"Bastard!" Cody cried out. "I-I'll kwill ya!"

Ruax snarled.

"Like hell you will."

As Cody stumbled back into view, Nick raised his arm, revealing a silver pistol with strange engravings in it.

Ruax watched curiously as Nick's finger tensed on the trigger.

"And what was that meant to d-"

His devil senses screaming at him, Ruax flipped over the couch and flicked it up with his boot before kicking it in Nick's direction. As the couch slammed into the wall, Ruax stepped to the side and watched Nick carefully, eyeing his gun.

"Taking a wild guess here," Ruax said, running his hands through his hair. "But that pistol of yours... that's a Reaper's scythe, isn't it? It'd explain why my senses were screaming at me."

Nick twirled the pistol, a small grin on his face as he adjusted a dial on the back. The gun began to hum with power.

"Who knows," he said.

"KILL YOU BASTARD!"

Ruax sighed before turning around. Dodging to the side, the devil grabbed Cody's back before pushing him down, slamming his knee upwards at the same time. The demigod gasped as all the air left his body before the devil slammed his elbow into Cody's neck, a loud crack ringing out.

"A sneak attack is useless if you scream," Ruax muttered before holding the demigod's limp body in front of him, blood trickling from his mouth.

"Let go of Cody," Nick said, aiming at Ruax.

"Or what?" Ruax asked, tilting his head. "You'll shoot me? And hit your friend?"

Ruax dropped Cody on the floor, the teen groaning in pain as he activated a magic circle. As it shone brightly underneath his feet, he glanced at Nick.

"So, you coming or not?" Ruax asked. "I'd rather talk, not fight. I've got some questions for you."

Nick hesitated before nodding, his pistol disappearing into thin air.

"So, where we going?"

* * *

"Where the hell are we?"

"We are currently in Australia," Ruax said, answering Nick's question.

Tossing Cody to the side, Ruax sighed, reactivating his glamour.

"How the hell did you do that?" Nick asked, curiosity evident in his voice. "You just went from being a child to... that."

"Illusion magic," Ruax replied, flexing his hand. "It's useful for me. Regardless," the devil sighed. "I need to talk to you."

Ruax's eyes narrowed as Cody tensed; he could feel the energy gathering within the demigod's hand.

"Cody's sister, Kim," Ruax began carefully. "What does he do to her?"

Nick blinked before frowning.

"I don't follow," he said slowly. "Cody has a sister?"

Ruax sighed and slapped himself in the face.

'I'm too trusting like my last life,' he thought to himself. 'Fuck.'

Ruax created a magic circle and pulled Kim through, placing her down beside him.

"So, you don't know who this is?" The devil asked again.

"...dude, what are you holding?"

Ruax glanced at Kim before blanching. A creepy life-sized doll was there instead, a note taped to its head.

Checking for magic, Ruax found none and gingerly took the note.

"To 'R'," Ruax read out. "Your naivety will get you killed. Signed, J."

'And don't tell Ruval I gave you this!'

Ruax sighed as he burnt the message to a crisp.

Pulling out a vial from his pocket, Nick summoned his gun and aimed it at Ruax, but the devil ignored him and instead opened another teleport circle. Reaching in, he pulled out Cody's hand and rested it beside his arm before letting the liquid from the vial pour out.

"That's... not how teleport circles work?" Nick said confused, pistol still aimed at Ruax.

"It's not a teleport circle," Ruax replied. "Despite me calling it that, it's more of a gate, really."

'Well, technically true and false. I just think of my location and I can reach in and grab what I want.'

Waving his hand, Ruax glared at Cody's unconscious form as he spoke.

"So, Nick, is Cody usually like this?"

Nick scratched the back of his head and sighed.

"No," he admitted. "Cody's been acting strange recently. He's been obsessed with something but he never mentioned anything in front of me. I could only tell from when he was talking to himself."

"So you knew he was acting strange and didn't know he had a sister," Ruax deadpanned. "Glorious. Let me guess, you've also got a blank patch in your memory from recent times as well?"

Nick flinched before tightening his finger on the trigger.

"How'd you know?" Nick said, his voice low.

Ruax stared at Cody before sighing.

"Are you fucking... ...sunavabitch..."

Grabbing Cody, Ruax stood up and tossed the demigod at Nick.

"Alright, here's what happened," Ruax said, voice tight. "Nick, your memory has been _fucked_ with, and Cody has either been possessed, had his memory tampered with or is just fucked to begin with. Take your pick."

"Huh?"

"It's like I said," the devil said irritated. "Your memory has been fucked with. _Hard_. I don't have any answers, and I doubt you have any either."

Spawning a basic transportation spell, Ruax sighed as it shone brighter and brighter.

"I'm going to find somewhere to rest. If you want answers, then come find me and we'll look together."

The circle flashed, blinding Nick as Ruax disappeared.

The teen blinked before frowning.

"That was... unexpected. But if he said is true..."

"...gah, my fuckin head hurts..."

"Shut up Cody, I'm thinking."

* * *

Teleporting into an alleyway, the devil groaned and massaged his temples.

"What the fuck is going on," Ruax murmured, making his way to a busy sidewalk, joining the flow.

'I killed a demigod for Big Brother, ran into two demigods to only find out their memories been tampered with, and now Jessica is looking out for me? Seriously, is the outside world as a supernatural denizen this fucking confusing? I think I know how Issei felt when he was reincarnated a devil now.'

Ruax sighed before freezing in place, the people bustling past him without a care in the world.

'Well, for starters, leaving two demigods in Australia wasn't smart for a start. I need to go get them out then find somewhere to crash. My magic reserves are nearly at half.'

Walking again, the devil fastened his pace as he searched for a suitable location to teleport.

Bright lights and loud noises assaulted his enhanced senses before he suppressed his demonic magic, fading away into the background as a normal human. He pretended to admire the sights as he passed countless buildings, crossed roads and enjoyed street performances before he entered a park, luscious green grass surrounding pavement and plants, a fountain resting in the center.

"Heeeyyyyyyyy pretteh boyyy~" a voice sang. "Whatcha doinnnn here, ayy?"

Ruax froze and immediately flexed his fingers, an invisible ripple of mana traveling outwards. The devil his his smirk as his magic pinged the people behind him, outlining their bodies in a invisible layer of demonic energy.

'Demonic energy is invisible unless highly concentrated. Thanks, Mum.'

The devil took a deep breath before turning around, facing the three supernatural denizens approaching him.

"Oh, you know," Ruax said, smiling. "Just looking for where the trash lives, that's all."

"Tsk!"

Ruax glanced at the delinquents approaching him: three teenagers wearing loose hoodies, masks covering mouths and noses, jeans and hi-top sneakers.

"So, I'm right in assuming that you've cornered me for a good reason, right?" Ruax dropped the smile. "It was obvious when I noticed nobody around us."

The devil was right; the park was abandoned and a cold breeze howled, everything going silent in hopes of being ignored by the mythical creatures.

The middle teen scoffed as the person to his right stepped forward.

"Simple, really," she said. Holding out her palm, a ruby red flame burst to life in her hand. "We've come to take you."

"What she _meant_ to say," the last teenager corrected the female, "was that we've come to kill you."

"Then have sex on your corpse!" the middle teen said happily.

"What he said," she said.

"Succubus and Incubi," Ruax realized. "Am I right, or am I right?"

The middle teen sighed as he shrugged.

"Yeah, but whatcha gonna do about it?" He said. "I mean, you're outnumbered three to one, and I'ma horny little boy."

Ruax smiled, hiding his trembling fist behind his back.

'I've got no choice but to fight. And, I've definitely used a bit of my reserves from the fight earlier and all of my teleporting... fuck! Why now of all times?'

A projectile nicked Ruax's face, the devil's eyes widening. Slowly, he brought his hand up to his face and traced the thin line on his cheek, blood slowly leaking out.

"Awww, what a shame. The poor birdies wings aren't working," the middle teen said. "What's wong? Your wittle wings aren't working?"

Ruax snarled and flexed his fingers, flames swirling around each one. A column for each, Ruax swiped at the air, launching the five embers.

"Awwww~, what's that? A present?" The female taunted.

Ruax smirked as the ember made contact.

 _ **FYYYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM**_

A pillar of crimson flames erupted into the sky, coating the succubus as the intense heat began to melt the smooth pavement and burn the grass to a crisp. Ruax watched as the teenagers panicked, gusts of wind billowing out and throwing them around.

Ignoring the screams of pain, Ruax darted forwards and slammed his elbow into the middle incubi's face before kicking his legs out from underneath him. Raising his foot, the devil went to slam his shoe into the incubus's face, only to be shoved to the side.

"PUT ME OUT! PUT ME OUT! PUT ME OUT!"

Regaining his footing, he spun to face the other incubus. Ruax blocked a fist and grimaced, his forearm shaking from the impact before batting away the other fist. The Phenex continued to defend the strikes, his opponent getting cockier with each attack. Slapping aside a punch, Ruax's eyes widened as his opponent's knee slammed into his jaw.

The devil's world turned black before he blinked, the colours of the sky and park blending in to create a pretty kaleidoscope before he felt something grab his collar.

"Not so tough, are ya?" The incubus said, his mask revealing the outlines of his massive grin.

"Fuck off."

Ruax coated his forehead in flames before viciously headbutting the Incubus. The teenager howled in pain as the devil leapt forward, slamming his knee into the Incubus's solar plexus. As the air left the Incubus's lungs, Ruax snarled and rushed forwards, grabbing the airborne teenager's legs.

"Take this, bitch."

Without a hint of hesitation, Ruax mercilessly slammed the Incubus into the ground, his opponent bouncing from the force of the attack before his foot slammed into the Incubus's ribs. The Phenex watched as his opponent rolled a few meters before coming to a stop on the charred grass, sprawled helplessly.

"Gotcha bitc-!"

Ruax spun around and lashed out with his foot, catching the teen on the jaw. As the stunned Incubus stumbled backwards, Ruax splayed his palm and encased the Incubus in a fiery, translucent sphere.

"That sphere will roast you alive if you don't get out," Ruax said, creating a standard teleport circle.

Without another word, Ruax disappeared in a flash as the flames dispersed, leaving the sphere hovering above the charred grass.

"Sunavabitch that hurt," the female groaned. "Liam, you good?"

"I'm good," Liam said as he slowly stood up, rubbing his neck. "Bastard knows how to fight, Cass, and he's powerful enough to nearly knock me unconscious. Still, I'm surprised that our bait worked. I mean, we got that devil in the tower's brother now. All we have to do is bring him to the chick that hired us."

"Yeah. Seems like a good ide-"

"Would you two stop fucking around and free me!" The last teen screamed. "I'm boiling fucking alive here!"

"I'm not sure if we can, Chris," Cass said, folding her arms. "That sphere seems pretty powerful."

"I DON'T CARE! Just... blow it the fuck up or something!"

"...okay then. Liam, stand back."

"Suurree."

. . .

. .

.

 **BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM**

"Did it work?"

"Fucked if I know. Anyway, we need to track that kid down. Now."

"Right."

"DON'T IGNORE ME YOU FUCKERS!"

* * *

Ruax gasped as he stumbled forwards, his breathing ragged.

"Used wayyyyyy too much mana there," he said softly, regaining his breath as his body throbbed in pain. "And holy fuck those punches hurt as well."

Leaning against a wall for a few minutes, Ruax eventually walked out of the bathroom and frowned.

"I just... ...did I just do a blind teleport? ...fuck me, I didn't even know that was possible."

Walking back into the bathroom, Ruax sighed and created another teleport circle, this one designed to go to Australia.

In a flash of light, the Phenex deadpanned as he saw Nick holding Cody by the collar, the former's face contorted in anger, his fist raised.

"I hope I'm not interfering with anything," Ruax said, getting their attention. "But I'm your ticket outta here, so get over here already."

Nick frowned as he dropped Cody to the ground before walking over, his 'friend' stumbling over.

Casting another teleport circle, Ruax sighed.

"I'm getting a hotel and crashing. How about you?"

Nick adjusted his glasses before placing his hands in his pockets. The devil noticed the slight wetness on his cheeks, and how his eyes were slightly red and puffy.

"Just... ...get us out of here."

The Phenex shrugged.

"Fine with me."

In another flash of light, Ruax felt his strength significantly diminish and sighed.

"Meet me early tomorrow," Ruax said. "I'll be staying here tonight."

Turning around, the devil didn't bother listening to Nick's reply as he entered the flash hotel.

Walking to the counter, the receptionist smiled as the devil admired the interior decor.

A small waterfall was present to the side surrounded by plants, lavish couches placed on top of expensive fur carpets. The floor was shiny and spotless, lights hanging from the ceiling and columns that supported the building. A cafe was also present in a corner, with elevators and doorways leading to unknown destinations also present.

"Hello sir, how may I help you today?"

Ruax blinked before nodding.

"Right, uhh, do you have any free rooms at the moment?"

The receptionist nodded.

"Yes we do, sir," she said. "There are rooms on the eleventh level, or some on the fifth and second as well."

"I'll take a room on the eleventh," Ruax said. "I'll be here for... seven days and nights."

"Of course, sir. Was that all for today?"

Ruax nodded before finishing all the paperwork and paying. He winced at the price, but then remembered he was pretty much filthy rich and smiled.

Walking to the elevator, the devil only remember bumping into a man in a suit before the trip became a blur as he stood in front of his room. Swiping the keycard, he pushed the door open and entered, shut the door, locked it and looked around. Walking further in, the devil spotted the bed and headed over before falling in, the soft mattress feeling like heaven to his sore limbs.

"Let's recount what happened today," Ruax said, wincing in pain as he moved his arms. Holding his arms up, he flexed his fingers and small flame diagrams flickered in the air above him. "I got shredded to pieces – which hurt like a bitch – killed a demigod, ran into _two_ more demigods, found a fake sister who was Jessica sending me a message, realized they had memory loss then fought off two incubi and a succubus before escaping and staying in a random hotel."

Ruax frowned. "I guess I'll just go fuck myself then."

Glancing around, Ruax dispersed his flames and cast magic circles around his room.

"That should wake me up if something happens," he murmured as he closed his eyes, glamour fading away. "Still, what a fucking day."

. . .

. .

.

'Why would incubi and a succubus be after me?' Ruax thought as he opened his eyes, unable to sleep. 'The only thing that comes to me would be my aura or magic signature. But then, it should be well hidden by the humans around me, and considering I've met demigods... ...unless my demonic powers are stronger than I thought and give away where I am.'

Sitting up, Ruax glanced out the window. Buildings were illuminated by golden lights and a few neon lights were visible from above. The sky was covered in clouds and rain was pouring down.

'...the demigod I killed... he was practically insane, wasn't he? I wonder... ...no, that's too far-fetched. That demigod was a devout follower of the church. I doubt the incubi and succubus was involved with him.'

Ruax yawned and stretched his arms above his head.

'What about Nick and what's his face? Cody? Cody. Anyway, what if they got beat up by the incubi trying to find his sister because of the memory alteration? They might've noticed the different magic signature from them and talked to them. Though, in Cody's case...'

Ruax frowned as he rested his back against the bed frame, bringing his legs to his chest and hugging them.

'As much as I want to ignore this and go about my business, there's too many variables here. The incubi and succubus could easily sneak attack me, and while I'm strong enough to hold them off, I've got the magic reserves of a High-Class Devil Child. Not much to work with there. I could probably fight at one hundred percent for maybe ten minutes, fifteen if I push it. And that's with intense magic attacks as well.'

'Then there's Nick and Cody. They didn't see, to be on good terms when I went back and got them.'

'Then there's also Jessica. Why is she watching me? Did Ruval send her, or is she doing it because she want's to? I'm so fucking confused...'

Ruax sighed and scratched his neck idly.

'So many questions, so little answers. I guess I'll need to wait for Nick to come here tomorrow and have a chat. After that, I'll ask Ruval about incubi and succubi, then if he's watching me. After that, solve this fucking problem then get back to training. I need to be overpowered as fuck before canon. Ultimate Class? How about Satan Class?'

Ruax grinned as he opened his palm. Flames flickered to life and the face of a devil easily emerged from the fire.

'How about surpassing the Super Devil Satan? That sounds like fun.'

Closing his hand, Ruax sighed.

'Honestly, if this is a plot to a story or something, then this is fucking shit. At this rate, I'll be kidnapped by the mafia and have to fight for my freedom or something.'

Ruax chuckled.

'Hah, what am I thinking, that shit won't happen. This world is governed by the Universal Law of Ecchi if anything. Besides, even if it did happen, it'll be a good opportunity to test out some of my spells out.'

Stretching out on the bed, Ruax let loose a yawn as he dispersed his glamour and closed his eyes.

. . .

. .

.

"Wait, this is the plot to a story cause I'm in the world of DxD now. That means..."

The devil sighed.

"Fuck it, I don't care. Sleep time."

* * *

Chapter has been updated to be more coherent or sum shit like that. Honestly, people were complaining about the chapter being confusing. It's _totally_ not the point of this chapter _at all_. _Noo_ , it couldn't be, _right?_

Sarcasm aside, my chapter titles **always** refer to something that happens in the chapter, and it's usually the main part of the chapter. Regardless, next two or three should clear it up.

 **This is being released Christmas Eve from Australia.**

 **I'll only be addressing reviews up above or at the AN at the bottom if I think it's a response everybody should see.**

 **LuluViBritania:** In response to your review... ...the way I see the reincarnation system working is like this.

Okay, the way I see it, the body is made of three things: the body, soul and spirit. The body contains muscle memory, strength, magic, etc. It basically contains everything the body has done and stores it and allows the spirit to move around in the physical realm. The soul is what controls the body, allowing for one to control and move the body, channel and use/cast mana, etc. However, the soul is empty, and requires something to power it. And that's where the spirit comes in. The spirit enters the empty soul which is basically protection of a sort for the spirit. The spirit is the mental part; thinking, storing knowledge – you get the gist of it – and it also powers the soul, which in turn, allows the spirit to use the body.

So, from that, this is how it works: the soul controls the body but requires power. The spirit powers the soul, which in turn, allows the spirit to use the soul to control the body. However, the body requires energy of some sort which means food, water, or pure, untainted mana. After consumption of energy for the body, it's fed through to the soul to keep it powered and to allow for the spirit continue use of the body. However, if not energy is fed through, the spirit will begin to feed power into the soul, which can lead to problems to the spirit's mental state – depression, insanity, etc. If the spirit feeds too much power into the soul, the spirit may either snap or die. If the spirit dies, the spirit returns to the cycle of life and death, and the body will either remain untouched or have another soul reincarnated into it. If the spirit snaps, it will lead to the spirit being warped.

When a spirit is warped, the body and soul shut down and the spirit enters a mental landscape where it has to face everything that has a negative impact on it. The spirit then has to overcome everything that has a negative impact on it, otherwise it will forever be stuck in its mental landscape as its sins slowly chip and wear away the spirit. If the spirit fails to overcome its sins, then the spirit will either fade away forever, or will return to the body as a damaged spirit which can lead to sociopaths, psychopaths, etc. If the spirit overcomes its sins in certain ways – accept sins, overcome sins, etc – the spirit will return stronger than before and will also have a [Gift] with it. However, with this [Gift], the spirit gains a weakness which can be a multitude of things: dependency on close or loved ones (if one dies, the spirit can snap or shutdown), losing a sense of some type (dulled taste buds, partially lost or lost vision, losing a sense of direction, unable to comprehend the simplest of things, unable to create plans, etc.

Basically, the spirit is used to power the soul, with an example being like a car. Let's say the spirit is the battery and food/energy source is the petrol with the body being the car. Bam. Best explanation I got.

I got off track, but the spirit basically enters a recently deceased or still relatively healthy body and jump starts it. It can happen when the spirit within the body is dying/nearly dead or already gone. If there is no spirit in the body, the reincarnated spirit retains their memories and experiences and lives again. If the spirit is nearly dead and a spirit is reincarnated into the body, the two merge with the reincarnated spirit gaining partial memories and experiences from the previous spirit.

If you need more from that, I'll try be more precise. I'm really tired at the moment from working and I had to call in sick at work cause I was in pain.

Anyway, I think that's everything for that review.

Now, for your second one...

Ruax has no idea what Memory Partition or Thought Acceleration is. He's never heard of it before, and probably won't for a while. With the Heir stuff, I'll let you all get your own opinions and stuff from that, though it may not end like you think it will. Also, Ruax won't be getting Issei. That is confirmed. I have no plan on touching Rias's peerage and taking them into Ruax's peerage. Ruax's peerage will mostly be OCs and maybe a few canon characters.

Anyway, thanks for the review!

 **Sorry about the huge delay. I had exams and assignments for school then went on holiday overseas for two weeks but got sick there. I was recovering from that last week and now here we are.**

 **Also, I've been sitting on this chapter for a while, I just been stuck on how to get from here to point B. That was the problem I was sitting on, but regardless, here we are.**


	8. A Man's Last Stand

**Ashes To Flames**

 **[PS:** I was in a bad mood when I wrote this response. So, if you're offended from the following below, sue me, because I honestly do not care.]

 **King Gilgamesh:** ...why the actual hell would God need to maintain his creations? Honestly, I feel like that question was a bit dumb. He created stuff and supplied everything with energy/mana. Energy cannot be destroyed. Therefore, his creations would power themselves and not require a constant source. Kinda like creating a human if you think about it. Once it is created, born and grows up, they can survive on their own.

Don't like that answer? Here, suck on this one. Literally nothing in the DxD universe apart from Ophis and Great Red would be able to maintain the universe with just their mana. Why? Cause it's pretty much infinite. Ophis has infinite mana, and Great Red could just use his bs powers to supply power. God is nowhere near the levels of these two. God is also not as powerful as everyone says he is. If anything, he is more of a support-type who is a master of defensive spells such as sealing and barriers.

Reasons for God's power: The Biblical Faction was the largest at the time. It was a combined, powerful fortress with a strong creator/God. Pretty much everyone back in those time periods believed in God, which could equal to one of his power sources because of the belief system. Another power source would be his faith, like how normal angels gain their power. Another power source again would be his extensive knowledge which would aim him in battles. Also, he's just pretty strong in general, but not in the top 5 strong. That's just ridiculous.

Why is he feared and respected by gods more powerful then him? ...oh, I don't know, maybe because he casually created the human world as we know it? Because he could create powerful creatures known as angels from just light? Besides, these more 'powerful gods' may not have existed back when God was alive. And even if they did, they may have respected him for leading the Biblical Faction or only heard about him from other supernatural denizens.

Also, the [Confusion] chapter is exactly what it's meant to be. I released it knowing that it's still rushed, and I plan on smoothing it out. But life's a bitch, I'm always working my holidays, schools starting again soon and I'm always freaking tired. So sue me.

Also, has of now, it's been updated.

* * *

"Jessica, what did you do?"

"Hehe, whatcha mean Ruval?"

The blonde man turned around and sighed.

"I've been keeping an eye on my little brother with my familiar," the devil said. "He took out the demigod I asked him to without question before running into two demigods." Ruval turned around and eyed his servant. "Two demigods who happened to have memory magic cast on them, and then a fake little sister created via demonic magic."

Ruval sighed.

"I know you're trying to keep an eye out for Ruax," the strongest heir said gently. "And I appreciate it, but he needs to learn about the supernatural world by himself, otherwise nothing will change."

Jessica bit her bottom lip.

"The outside world can be quite confusing – you know this well – and the fact that he has already attracted two incubi and a succubus is troubling for me."

Ruval sighed.

"Well, he's on his own now. Keep an eye out on my little brother. If he's in peril, help him.'

* * *

"You know, I was fucking joking last night."

Ruax sighed as he lightly pulled on the manacles, testing their strength before glancing around. Sure, he had devil-enhanced strength, but his strength was only that of an adult without his demonic power enhancing his strength. The perks of being young, he would say.

The devil looked around his dirty cell, his night vision activating subconsciously. The small cell was covered in grime, the small toilet in the corner being no exception. Sniffing, Ruax winced as his nose was assaulted by sewage before his eyes narrowed.

 _Thud_

 _Thud_

 _Thud_

Ruax closed his eyes and feigned unconsciousness, the footsteps growing louder as Ruax shut off his devil senses.

'I need to fake being a human as best as I can.'

. . .

. .

.

'Butttt then again, bullshit hearing powers. I like it.'

Focusing his demonic energy at his ears, Ruax winced as every sound reverberated loudly, all sharp and harsh as he suppressed his aura.

Eventually, the footsteps stopped as two humans stopped in front of his cell.

"Why did we kidnap a boy, Jeff?"

'...fuck...'

Instead of moving, a man sighed.

'Probably the boss.'

"Just..." The man sighed. "Take him to the meeting room. Grab the other one as well."

"Y-Yes boss!"

Hearing the cell door creak open, the devil cracked one eye open and let out a soft moan.

"Come on, kid," the man said as he stepped forwards. "Let's get moving."

Feeling the cuffs come off, Ruax was moved out of the cell into the hallway of an 1800's Goth-European style house.

Feeling the man's hand on his back guiding him, the devil admired the tapestries and paintings on the wall. They were graphic and had quotes etched into the frame holding them on the wall.

"Just down this hallway and around the corner," the man said as they approached the corner.

Ruax nodded slowly. To the outside world, he was a tired, confused child. In the inside, he was a young adult mentally, trying to figure out how he got kidnapped.

Letting himself be guided, the devil entered a room that had a dining table in the centre with a kitchen to the side and a lounge room filled with entertainment.

Feeling his feet leave the ground, Ruax was seated at the table as the man sighed.

"Man, ain't easy being a thug," the man sighed before turning to the kitchen. "Yo, Martha, what's for dinner?"

"Food," a female replied, her voice smooth like velvet. "Just wait for boss to get back."

The man grunted and left the room as Ruax stared at the television, looking for the current date.

'Wait a second... it's been one day?'

The devil hid his surprise as his mind went into overdrive.

'Was I out for a whole day for using my demonic powers that much? I mean, I would understand if I used my Golden Flames, but I didn't, and I doubt the people who kidnapped me could keep me knocked out for this long.'

The devil sighed internally.

'Well, my main problem right now is escaping. I need to get out and re-activate my glamour. After that... ...well, I'll burn that bridge when I get there.'

The door opened again as a teenager stumbled in, a gag placed over his mouth. Ruax watched – hiding his surprise – as Nick staggered into a seat, his glasses askew. The demigod noticed Ruax and his eyes widened, only for the devil to subtly shake his head.

"Is that all of them, Jeff?" Ruax heard the boss say as he entered.

"Yeah boss," Jeff said. "The kid and the teen."

"Good." The boss paused before speaking again. "Martha, is that shepherd's pie you are cooking?"

"Yes boss," the woman replied. "It'll be up soon."

"Right."

Ruax stiffened as the 'boss' moved into the corner of his vision, sitting at the head of the table.

A middle-aged man with a neat cut and greying hair, he was in a simple black-and-white tuxedo as he sighed, slightly deflating in his seat.

"So, you're probably wondering why you two are here," the boss said, clasping his hands as he leaned forwards. "You shall receive your answers."

Nick grunted.

"Jeff, get rid of that gag," the boss sighed. "We aren't animals, and the cuffs too."

"Yes boss."

Jeff moved over and removed the gag. Instantly, Nick went to speak, only for an apple to be shoved into his mouth.

"Don't bother kid," Jeff said, removing his fedora and revealing his short brown hair. "You spawn that weapon of yours, and I'll knock you out."

Nick glared as he spat the apple out onto the table, his hands free of the cuffs as Jeff moved to Ruax. Feeling his hands come free, the devil let out a small sigh before looking up at the table.

"E-Excuse me mister," Ruax said, pretending to be a scared child. "What am I doing here?"

Nick gave Ruax a half-lidded stare, immediately not buying his bullshit as the boss looked at Ruax.

"You have an older brother, no?" The boss asked. "You wear the same clothes as him, so I assume he is a role model to you, devil."

Ruax nodded, his face confused, whilst internally...

'Thank FUCK he thinks I have an older brother. Just gotta roll with this.'

"And you... you are a demigod, correct?"

Nick glared at the boss.

"How do you know that?"

The boss sighed as a flash of sky blue lit the room before disappearing.

"Owning this Sacred Gear has involved me in your world," the boss said, a thin sheen of glass floating in front of him. "For now, however, I wish to hire you and this boy's brother for a job."

Ruax tilted his head curiously.

"What for, mister?"

The boss sighed.

"My name is Richard," the boss said. "And the reason I need your brother and this demigod is because I have a problem."

Richard sighed as Martha placed the food on the table.

"Two incubi and a succubus targeted your brother," Richard said, looking at Ruax. "They have been a constant thorn in my side, attacking my hotel and assaulting patrons."

"Wait... this hotel is your property?"

"Correct, demigod." The boss sighed. "I would kill them myself, but I am just human and would die immediately. The human race is – and always will be- at the mercy of the supernatural races."

'Not entirely wrong, but not correct either,' Ruax thought to himself. 'I mean, Cao Cao, Arthur Pendragon, Siegfried... ...all are humans who are as powerful or even stronger than High-Class devils.'

"So, you need us to kill three horny demons," Nick spat out. "What's in it for us?"

"Not three," the man said, his face shadowed. "No, I need you to eliminate a whole den of those creatures."

Jeff sighed as Nick and Ruax froze in their seats.

"A nest?" Ruax asked, quickly shoving aside his surprise.

"What the hell is a nest?"

Richard sighed. "A nest is a den for the Incubi and Succubi where countless of their kind dwell and feast on humans. They usually are in what we call red-light zones."

"So basically, you want us to enter as customers, find the den and eliminate all of them?"

Richard lowered his head in shame.

"It pains me to say this, but yes," he said. "I lack the strength, and I am willing to pay anything for you to assist me with this endeavour."

Nick sighed as he rubbed his temples.

"You know, you could've approached us instead of kidnapping us."

Jeff shook his head.

"They've been watching you two," Richard's subordinate replied. "By kidnapping you two, they think that we want something, and will be less wary when they finally attack."

"Wait, they're going to attack here?"

"That is the plan, yes." Richard stroked his chin. "When they attack us, you two will sneak out during the battle and hunt down their den." He glanced at Ruax. "In this case, your brother will join the demigod in destroying the den while you stay here."

Ruax nodded.

"Of course," the devil replied. "You wouldn't mind if I contacted him now, would you?"

"Go ahead."

Nodding, Ruax patted his pockets for his phone before it was placed on the table in front of him. Nodding his thanks to Jeff, he dialled the number to Ruval's phone.

 _Ring~_

 _Ring~_

 _Rin-_

 _ **Bleep**_

"Ruax? What's with the sudden call?"

"Oh, big brother!" Ruax said, forcing his voice to be childish as he cringed internally. "I was just kidnapped and offered a proposition!"

"Where," Ruval said immediately, his voice dark and venomous. "I'll kill them."

Everyone blanched from the pure malice from the Phenex Clan's strongest member.

"It's fine~," Ruax said, ignoring the atmosphere around him. "Listen, listen! He needs big brother Ru-Ru to destroy a den of incubi and succubi for him!"

"Is that so?" Ruval said, his venom disappearing. "What's in it for big brother Ru-Ru then?"

"He said he would give you anything he asked for, even his own life!"

Jeff went to say something, only for Richard to shake his life.

"...is that so? I would like to hear these words come from this man himself."

"Sure!" Ruax chirped, tossing the phone to Richard.

The man raised the phone to his ear and sighed.

"Anything you ask for shall be yours," the man said wearily. "Even my own life shall be forfeit."

Ruax strained his ears.

"...not only will your life be forfeit, but so shall your business. My little brother there with you will take control of it, and he shall also return home immediately."

The devil tuned out as a plate of food was placed in front of him.

"Eat up while you can," Martha said. "It's fresh."

Ruax complied, taking a mouthful of the pie before swallowing it down.

"Hey," Nick said, gaining the devil's attention. "Isn't that steaming hot?"

Ruax shook his head, making Nick frown as he got his own plate of pie.

The two ate in silence as the phone was placed on the table.

"What are the conditions, boss?"

". . ."

"Boss?"

"Jeff, Martha," Richard said softly. "After we repel this attack and they have destroyed the den, my life is forfeit, and our hotel business is finished. Everything will go to this devil here, as he will decide on what happens next."

"...you're joking, Richard."

"Martha, I suggest you leave as soon as possible. They are near us already, waiting to attack." Their boss sighed wearily. "Jeff, go get the defence ready. The hotel lobby should be where we trap them. Anywhere else and they will be too far spread."

"On it."

The demigod eyed the doorway as Jeff and Martha left the room, leaving them alone with Richard before the man stood up.

"I trust you two will destroy the den," he said. "Demigod, underneath the sofa, there should be two briefcases there. That is your payment."

"Hang on," Nick scowled, standing up. "I never said I agreed to do this!"

But the man had already left, the door swinging shut as Ruax stood up.

"Alright, time to get to work."

Casting his illusion, Ruax sighed as he stretched, rubbing his neck as he did.

"You ready?"

Nick scoffed.

"Give me one good reason why I should."

Ruax stared at Nick before sighing.

* * *

"So, how many did ya get today darling?~"

A scantily dressed man with the body of an athlete glanced at his wife, her modesty barely covered by a skimpy white towel.

"The usual," the man replied, a puff of smoke leaving his mouth. "We should have more customers in soon."

The lady laughed, her red lipped smile not reaching her pink eyes.

"Hopefully Auros has sent them down already," the succubus said.

 _Knock! Knock!_

"Ahh~, here they are now."

"I'll get the door."

The incubi stood up and walked over to the door.

Pulling the handle down, the man opened the door and smiled.

"Hi~, welcome to the Succ-"

Ruax wasted no time as his fist slammed into the incubi's face. Without hesitation, the devil spun and slammed his foot into the incubi's gut, sending him crashing into the wall, cracks instantly cascading out in the heavily scented room.

A harsh screech assaulted their ears as the door flew across the room before slamming into the incubi. Nick winced as a scream echoed through the room, an explosion of blood splattering the crater in the wall.

"Dude... overkill."

Ruax ignored the demigod as he looked around.

"You bastard!"

Nick blinked as the devil swayed to the side, effortlessly moving out of the way of the succubus's punch.

"Get out of the room," Ruax said as he kicked the woman into the wall, the wall cracking instantly. "I'm blasting this to hell and back."

"R-Right."

Turning around, Nick ran up the stairs, the dimly lit stairway covered in blood and carcasses of incubi.

 _ffyyyyooooooooooooooOOOooOOooOOOooOoOOoOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM_ _ **MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!**_

Reaching the inside of the store, the demigod leapt out of a window, rolling onto the pavement as he landed, the soft moonlight dimly lighting the area. Turning around, he ran a hand through his hair as he chuckled nervously, the building in front of him covered in fierce, crimson flames.

"That's half the district now," Nick muttered, adjusting his glasses. "How much more do we have to check?"

 _Clunk!_

In a flash of silver, Nick cocked back his pistol and spun around, taking aim at the alleyway behind him. Multiple wet footsteps approached him from every direction as he continued to look around wildly, aiming at the buildings, alleyways and the road.

"So, this is the bastard that's been destroying our dens?"

"Looks tasty... ...mind if I take him for myself?"

"Shut it you slut! If anything, _I_ deserve him!"

Sweat ran down his face as his heart began pumping faster, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he felt his body go on alert. The air felt prickly as his grip on his pistol slackened.

Nine of the demons they were hunting appearing out of the shadows, all in their own alluring clothes, their features barely covered. Nick gulped as even more surrounded him, forming a circle that got tighter and tighter every second.

"Damn, never been gangbanged before," the demigod whispered before laughing nervously.

The fire from the den crackled fiercely as Nick slowly walked backwards towards the burning den, the demons following him before his back touched the steaming hot brick wall.

Nick sighed as they all grinned and darted towards him.

"Well, I'm fucked."

* * *

A classy entrance, befit of a modern-day king – or, as other people say – the rich. Richard knew how to run a business; he didn't work his life in this industry for nothing. And yet, despite his efforts to make it a family business for centuries to come, he made a mistake. He let himself _indulge_ in his sexual desires for one night and brought the wrath of the incubi and succubi of the red-light district.

 _Two years_ they had been trying to rid of each other, but Richard knew it was coming to an end. After all, half of his security team had _mysteriously_ disappeared two months ago, but he knew what had happened.

Them. _Demons_ , he called them. Easier to group them as a demon then refer to them as _incubi_ and _succubi_.

A sigh escaped his weary mouth, something he was doing far too often lately. Though his thoughts weren't the cause of his weariness this time.

The glass doors slid open to reveal three familiar teenagers. Richard felt his lips curl in anger as the three leaders walked into his hotel, their usual clothes replaced with jeans and skin-tight shirts.

"Yo! Where ya at gramps? I got something for ya!"

Richard glanced at Jeff and nodded. His subordinated raised his hand and clenched his fist.

The three teenagers immediately tensed as multiple armoured men swarmed them, assault rifles raised with more supporting men behind, pistols raised.

"Well well well, a welcoming party for me?" Their leader started laughing before it died, his glare levelled at Richard.

"Chris, Cass and Liam," Richard said, spreading his arms out. "This is where you die."

Chris scoffed.

"Like hell," he snarled. "I'm gonna kill that blond bastard and fuck over his corpse."

Richard sighed.

"Men, attack," he ordered.

Chris smiled, immediately making Richard's hair stand up as a strong shiver ran down his spine.

"I could say the same," the incubus replied. "IT'S PARTY TIME BITCHES!"

Richard barely cast his Sacred Gear in time as the glass ceiling above shattered, countless shadows descending into his hotel.

His final fight had begun.

* * *

 **AN:** Rough _estimation here,_ but I'd say roughly about maybe twenty or more chapters before we get to canon without including a couple of filler chapters? I mean, with the way this is going, this first part of the arc will go for a few more chapters before we move on. Not really sure.

Anyway, I fixed the previous chapter to my bare minimum standards, and now it should make a bit more sense, especially as we move further on. Re-occurring villains and all that jazz.

Also, my writing is extremely inconsistent you haven't noticed. I go from the basics to fucking describing every single detail. Keep that in mind for the future. I'll try to stay consistent with description, but I make no promises.

Any questions ask in reviews or PM me. I'll try to reply when I got time.

If you just trash talk, I'll probably just ignore you. I'm not on this website to take shit, I'm here to write stories as a hobby, improve my writing skills and try to provide an enjoyable story.

\- Striderm8

PS: I plan on trying to make this story get deeper and more lore, politics, butterfly-effect, etc as I go. While it may seem somewhat light and just going by the surface, I want to try getting as deep as I can go. After the America part of the Travel Arc, I'm gonna try my best to get as in depth as possible. Anyway, seeya. Have a good time!


	9. Demons Defeated - A Devil's Dream

**Ashes To Flames**

 **Watched Spider-Man: Into The SpiderVerse and I haven't been so fulfilled in a long time after watching that. The movie was fucking amazing, and now I want to implement them into this story. Elements and whatnot, but anyway, that shit made me so happy. I can't describe it.**

Also, I wrote this chapter in one day, the day after I updated. So, this was written Monday the 14th but being uploaded whenever it goes up. Gotta proofread (lies) and shit, ya know?

 **Anyway, onto the chapter. It hectic**

* * *

One of the many thoughts that passed through Nick's mind as he was surrounded and about to die was what he was going to eat when he got home. He knew it sounded stupid, and in his opinion, he was surprised that flew through his mind instead of plans to fight. However, he was always a calm person when in combat. Sure, he was like a moody teenager half the time, but he was praised as always finding a strategy to defeat his opponents; guerrilla warfare was what he specialised, his camp-mates would say.

He had so many words to say as they closed in, but at the same time, he was struggling to hold back the smile threatening to show.

After all, his plan was about to start.

"Well, I'm fucked."

 _ **FYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM**_

The demigod hit the ground as fire exploded outwards, spiralling out as multiple pillars slammed into the countless demons. Each flame hit its mark, enveloping the incubi or succubi captured in fierce, golden flames. They were trapped in a cocoon of fire as the demonic flames intensified, growing stronger and stronger by the second.

"Now!" Nick heard Ruax shout from the building.

Summoning his pistol, Nick got to his feet and wasted no time finishing the trapped demons. For each bullet fired, their souls were ripped and torn from their bodies, reaped by the demigod in front of them. For each demon killed, the cocoon of flames would vanish, dispersing into the sky as golden particles.

Nick's shoes crunched every step he took, sizzling demon flesh and burnt blood splattered across the melting road, sidewalk and buildings as the golden flames fizzled out.

Slowly, Nick raised his leg before slamming his shoe into the remaining Incubi's gut, pinning the demon against the brick wall as it screamed in pain.

The incubi snarled, only for a 'click' and a cold barrel to be pressed against his head. He looked up at the owner of the gun and gulped nervously; the demigod looked like death incarnate himself.

"Where are the remaining demons?" The blond devil said as he walked forwards, hands in pockets. "We've wiped out half of this district to draw you out." Ruax came to a stop and leaned in, pressing his finger into the incubi's cheek. "So, information, now."

The incubi snarled weakly as Ruax straightened up and sighed.

"Your plan worked like a charm," the devil said, facing the demigod. "I'm actually surprised it went like you said."

Nick chuckled as he adjusted his glasses with one hand.

"You get good at this stuff after you've done it for a while," he replied. "Now, back to our lovely guest..."

Nick pushed the pistol further into the demon's head, making it grunt in pain.

"You'll die regardless," Nick said, finger tensing on his pistol. "So, spill the info and make it easier for us."

Ruax blinked as the incubi snarled weakly.

"Go fuck yourself," it spat out.

Nick shrugged and pulled the trigger, blasting the demon's head into pieces of scarlet flesh.

"Suit yourself."

Ruax watched as Nick dispersed his pistol and faced him. His hair was dishevelled, slight cuts and bruises and covering his body as his clothes were slightly scorched. The devil leaned forwards and reached out, fixing Nick's glasses before nodding.

"That isn't your first time killing, is it?" Ruax asked as Nick rubbed his neck.

"Unfortunately, it isn't," the demigod replied, gazing at the destroyed den. "Living in a monster-infested city like L.A means you have to grow up fast." He shrugged. "Incubi and Succubi, Imps, Stray Devils, Low-Class Werewolves, travellers passing through..."

"Sounds rough," Ruax replied before sighing. "Anyway, we don't have time to talk. The others would have come running by now; if they're aren't in here the next thirty seconds, then they'll all be back at the hotel."

. . .

. .

.

"Alright, back to the hotel," Ruax said. "I would teleport us, but..."

"You're low on mana?"

Ruax nodded.

"Running it is then," Nick sighed. "What is it, a thirty-minute run?"

"Twenty if we take shortcuts," the devil replied, smirking. "What's your thoughts on parkour?"

Nick smirked back.

"You're looking at the King right now," the demigod boasted. "I'm the fastest back at camp."

"Heh, I'll hold you to that."

* * *

Upturned chairs, crushed and splintered tables alongside shattered glass filled the hotel foyer; destruction, bullets, blood and unrecognizable carcasses strewn about, hidden by the constant grunts of men and women fighting.

Richard batted away an incubi's punch before slamming his knee into its solar plexus. As it gasped, spittle leaving its mouth as it went airborne, the man reached inside his jacket and pulled out a gun. Taking aim and firing, the demon died as its brains were splattered on the people underneath it before it landed, crashing into the wall and slumping over.

Detecting an increase in pressure from behind, Richard summoned his Sacred Gear and caught the fireball in his panel of glass before reflecting the attack.

The magic attack exploded, embers cascading over the battle as trained men struggled to fend off the demons, their enhanced demon strength barely held back by sheer combat skills.

Demons vs Humans, with the advantage leaning towards the former. Richard wished this day would never come, but his wish was never granted.

Shrugging off his jacket revealed a vest with countless weapons held in place. Grabbing a knife, Richard tossed it at a demon grappling with one of his men. The blade hit its target, giving the human a chance to escape the succubi's grip and stab her in the chest.

"Gotcha old man!"

Richard grunted as he felt his feet leave the ground, a demon holding him in a vice grip as it snarled.

"Foolish... attempt," he said through grit teeth.

Swinging his legs, the incubi laughed at Richard's struggles before shrieking, a blade sticking out from the back of the man's shoe. The demon growled and threw Richard away, the man slamming into a wall as the incubi pulled out the blade from its leg.

Spitting out blood, Richard smiled darkly as he got to his feet, stretching his body as his foe approached him.

"Helpless little human, just die already!"

The incubi charged as Richard stooped over. It leaped, and as it descended, its fingers morphed into claws as madness clouded its vision.

"Fool."

Richard straightened up and shouted as he swung a table leg into the demon's face. It shattered on impact as the incubi fell lifelessly onto the cold marble floor, eyes lifeless as crimson blood began to form a small puddle.

Wiping the trickle of blood on his face with the hem of his sleeve, Richard noticed the absence of fighting and sighed.

His men were down, all unconscious or dead, scattered throughout the chaos in the foyer. Pulling out a cigarette from his inner pocket, Richard sighed as he used a nearby ember to light it.

"It's over, old man," Chris said. "We fucked ya up, and now I'm gonna take this building all for myself!"

A puff of smoke left Richard's mouth as he glared at the remaining demons: the three leaders and five lackeys.

"Like hell you will," the man spat. "Enough talking, let's get this over with."

"If you say so geezer." The head incubi pointed at Richard and started cackling. "Fuck that old man so hard he becomes young again!"

Liam groaned as Cass licked her lips.

"Just... kill him," Liam muttered, waving dejectedly at Richard.

Five succubi charged forwards, face's covered in grins as Richard grunted. Dropping his cigarette, he crushed it underneath his shoe and whipped out his pistol.

 _ **BANG!**_

 _ **BANG!**_

 _ **BANG!**_

Three bodies hit the ground as Richard's rang loudly, the bark of his modified pistol rendering him temporarily deaf. Aiming at the two succubi close, his arm was pushed to the side as a pink haired succubus darted in, her purple haired counterpart smirking.

His gut screaming, Richard dropped to the floor as he watched the succubus's fist leave cracks in the wall. Reacting, he swept out and kicked their legs out from underneath them before jumping back to his feet. With relative ease, he shot both in the head as they rose, a sickening splat echoing through the silent foyer.

A lone whistle rang out.

"Damn," Chris said, his grin hidden by a mask. His eyes glinted dangerously. "This old man still got some moves, huh."

"Why bother with the weaklings when you've got a gun," Richard said as he slowly approached them, carefully stepping over destroyed furniture and bloodied bodies.

Checking the magazine in his gun, he hid his frown at the three bullets remaining.

"Well, time to end you, I guess," Chris said, rolling his shoulders. His pale skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. "Cass, you're with me."

"A date? Sweet," Cass replied, sweeping her long brown hair to the side.

Richard sighed wearily as they approached.

'I need to stall for as long as possible.'

Raising his gun, the two demons blurred as he fired. Instantly, he dropped his gun and raised an arm, blocking the wild kick from the incubi.

"How's it feel, old man?" He said, still grinning. "Your barely strong enough to fight us!"

Feeling another spike of killing intent, Richard quickly pushed Chris away before leaping forwards and throwing a chair behind him. Hearing a gasp of surprise, he rolled to his feet and grunted, rubbing his arm.

He wasn't surprised; there was raw power behind the kick he blocked, and it made his whole body shake. If he hadn't been pushing his body to its limits for the past year, he wouldn't be able to stand a chance.

Standing to his full height of 6 foot, he rolled the sleeves back to his elbows, revealing muscle covered in sweat.

Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he felt something behind him and summoned his Sacred Gear. He heard a gasp of surprise as he spun, his fist already moving. With the precision of a sniper, he dispersed his Sacred Gear as he landed a solid strike on the succubus.

"Gah!"

Adrenaline was coursing through his veins as he watched Cass collide with a bookcase, the wooden furniture disintegrating as it collapsed on top of her.

"Bastard! I'll kill you!"

Turning around, Richard's eyes widened as he summoned his Sacred Gear again, the thin sheen of glass protecting him from the incubi.

Chris snarled as he descended from the air, his fist covered in scarlet energy. Punching the glass, it cracked under the pressure as he growled and spun in the air, smashing his foot into the middle of the cracks.

Richard grunted as he willed his Sacred Gear to reflect the attack. An energy wave of shimmering red energy exploded outwards as the demon dodged to the side. As the energy travelled and collided with the ceiling, the incubi darted in and attacked Richard, the man barely blocking the attack with both arms.

"Pathetic human," Chris snarled. "Just die already!"

"Mad I hurt your girlfriend?" The man replied, smirking.

The incubi snarled and broke through Richard's guard, surprising the man. As the human stumbled a step back, the demon stepped forward and delivered a punch to his jaw, a loud crack emanating through the foyer. Not stopping, the demon rushed Richard, battering the human's body with countless strikes.

Richard choked on blood as he was sent hurtling backwards, crashing into the wall. A small crater formed with cracks cascading outwards as he slid down onto the once pristine marble floor. He coughed out blood as he struggled to breath; he had been outclassed immediately.

Feeling something lift hid chin up, he glared at the incubi, his boot making him look up.

"Any last words, old man?" The demon spat, blood covering his shirt.

Richard opened his mouth weakly, only for a deafening roar of a handgun to cut him off.

Chris laughed weakly as he looked down at his chest, a large chunk of flesh missing as flames began to crawl through his flesh. _Golden_ _Flames_.

Richard coughed out more blood as he struggled to smile; the Calvary had arrived.

He felt his eyes weaken before everything turned dark.

He deserved a few minutes of rest... right?

* * *

Ruax had infused the bullet with a small rune before he fired, and boy, if it wasn't for his enhanced strength, he would've dropped the gun upon firing.

Glancing at Nick standing over Liam's unconscious form, he rushed forwards as Chris screamed, his body alight in pure, golden flames.

Running forwards, his shoes crunching on broken glass, Ruax dispersed his flames, leaving behind a charred incubi.

The devil remained the silent killer as his punch connected with the back of the incubi's head, the demon's body instantly smashing into the marble floor, creating a small crater in the ground. Ruax glanced at the blood splattered over his clothes and closed his eyes.

He had just destroyed the incubi's head in one blow. He was strong, yes, but why was he feeling nothing? Nothing from the killing? Of the merciless slaughter of the incubi and succubi?

The devil was shook from his thoughts as he heard glass shatter. Looking around wildly, he saw a glimpse of someone falling and sighed.

'As much as I want to chase them, I'd lose them in the city, and they could easily teleport or ambush me, not to mention civilians. I need to get this place cleaned up first. Once it's morning, people will come knocking.'

"R, over here!"

Ruax rushed over to where Nick was crouched. Seeing the man's broken body, the devil lowered his head in shame, rage boiling within.

 _ **Cough! Cough!**_

Ruax flinched as Richard coughed up blood before wheezing. His eyes slowly opened, pale blue looking around slowly.

"I'm guessing... ...that we... ...won then...?" He managed to gasp out, blood flowing freely from his body.

Ruax crouched down and nodded.

"We cleared their dens and beat the rest here," Ruax said. "There's one unconscious nearby, but one got away."

Richard nodded in acknowledgement.

"I-I see. M-My work here... ...is done then."

Ruax's eyes widened as he began coughing violently before heaving, an excess amount of blood splattering onto the ground.

"M-Make sure m-my son, J-Jeffery, is alright."

Ruax nodded solemnly as Richard managed to smile one last time. One last smile of sadness as his eyes lost the life within them.

The devil fought back tears as he closed the man's eyes.

"...are you crying?"

Ruax shook his head as he stood up.

"I'm mad," Ruax murmured as Nick stood up as well. "Furious even. He just wanted to live, and these demons took that from him."

The devil looked Nick in the eyes, and the demigod flinched as he saw the piercing knowledge within them.

"I'm sick of innocent people dying," Ruax said. "I'm sick of it happening in front of me. This world... ...it needs a change, a push so we all work together to make this place better."

Nick nodded in agreement as he placed a hand on his hip.

"I couldn't agree more," the demigod said, making Ruax's eyes wide . "The way society is proceeding, we'll all be fucked. Politicians focusing on their greed before the people, fake charities, the lying, blackmailing and wars." He shook his head. "It's ridiculous."

Ruax stared at Nick before shaking his head.

"Nick, join my peerage."

The demigod blinked.

"Your what now?"

"My peerage," Ruax said again. "Let me reincarnate you as a devil. I doubt you care about the benefits, but I need a person like you in the Underworld."

Nick shook his head in disbelief.

"Why the hell would I want to become a devil?"

"I'm on a trip around the world to find strong members for my peerage," the devil explained as he crossed his arms. "When I'm old enough, I plan on ascending the ranks of the Underworld to make a change for the better; my ambition- or dream - as they say."

'And to achieve that, I need to be strong enough to stop terrorists whilst rising in rank. Raw strength won't cut it, I need strong and intelligent peerage members as well.'

"Devils are greedy, selfish and extremely racist at times," Ruax continued. "But for every ten bad devils, there is at least one good devil. A large portion of our people are also reincarnated devils, and the discrimination against them is something I'd like to end as well."

The blond sighed as Nick lost himself in thought.

"It's a choice," Ruax said, bringing the demigod out of his thoughts. "I won't force you to join, but... I believe we can achieve a lot together; more then you would by staying in this city."

". . ."

Ruax sighed again.

"I'll make a call to get somebody to clean this up," the devil said as he made his way towards the elevators. "I'll be on floor eleven, room eight."

Hearing no response, the devil entered the elevator and left the demigod all by himself.

Nick's thoughts were chaotic, swirling around dangerously, but despite it all, they all came back to one thought.

 _Do I?_

* * *

Ruax sipped from his mug and blanched before placing it back down.

He didn't mind mochas, but anything else was too much for him. Though, he needs it tonight.

Glancing around at his room, he didn't see anything amiss and sighed.

'Stop distracting yourself from the main problem here.'

Ruax had already called his brother, and they were cleaning up the destruction and fixing the place. Of course, that didn't concern him much until he realized he now technically owned the place.

He couldn't stay here, he knew that much. But he couldn't leave the business where it was. He needed someone to take care of it for him, but Jeff was recovering in a hospital, and all the staff were either dead or badly injured.

Ruax bit his thumb hard before his body healed the small wound.

Another glaring problem he had... his mental state.

Ever since he had become a devil, he felt himself change in multiple ways. He was no longer scared of pain like he used to be. Hell, his family began calling him a training maniac in a couple of months. No, it was the killing.

He was scared, simply put. In his past life, he didn't think he'd have qualms about killing another human being, but here? An afterthought. It didn't seem to matter that these demons possibly had families and close relatives, but regardless, he felt nothing yet everything after killing.

 _For the greater good_ , he would say to himself. And yet... the words just wouldn't resonate with him. He was afraid of losing control. He was afraid of losing the shred of humanity he had left. He was scared.

Ruax brought his legs to his chest and hugged them.

He felt small, tiny - _insignificant_ \- in this world. Everything was so different in DxD, and he most definitely was afraid of the consequences of changing canon.

...but then again, he is now the third son of Phenex, and Raiser is the second. That would mean he would be engaged to Rias Gremory, and have to fight her alongside Issei Hyoudou.

The devil shuddered.

Issei Hyoudou, the Red Dragon Emperor, lover of tits and aspiring harem king. He has weak demonic power, making him laughable to others, but his potential... His potential was the most deadliest tool he had. To grow strong enough to defeat _Sairoarg Bael_ in less than a year, if his memory is correct. An astounding feat.

Ruax would be lying to himself if he said he wanted Issei in his peerage. Hell, he'd love to have Siegfried, Valerie and even Cao Cao in his peerage!

He unfurled and drank from his mug, ignoring the bitterness.

By simply existing in a different timeline, he's already affected canon. And the fact that he is the third son of Phenex proves that this isn't normal DxD. In fact, Lucifer could be corrupt and Vali could be a female, Rizevim could be good as well as Kokabiel.

Ruax felt his lips curl as he drank more coffee.

He had originally planned to travel the world to find peerage members, but first, he needed to make a stop.

To Romania, that is.

Be damned the consequences, he'd rather suffer the beating down of all time then let Valerie be used like a toy! She was beneficial to Qlippoth's plans in the future, and he was going to face them. It was only a matter of time.

Ruax grinned as he set down his mug.

He was pretty good at ruining carefully crafted plans.

 _Thud! Thud!_

Waving his hand, the door opened and Nick walked in, slightly confused as the door closed shut.

"What do you need, Nick?" Ruax asked, his voice laced with weariness.

"I've thought about what you said, and..." He bit his lip before nodding, confirming his thoughts. "I'd like to hear all the benefits from becoming a devil, as well as downsides and more about your culture."

Ruax blinked before smiling.

"Come sit down," the devil said, drinking from his cup again. "I've got a lot to explain."

"But first, coffee," the demigod said, grinning. "Don't want me falling asleep on you."

Ruax nodded and as Nick busied himself with a drink, he scratched his chin and looked out the window at the glowing city of neon lights.

'What piece do I use?'

* * *

 **AN:**

King Gilgamesh: As I said, I was in a bad mood, so sue me.

Also, the universe is practically infinite, as it is always expanding. Basically infinite. Also, I'm not sure how Earth was created in the DxD universe. Whether or not its how science explains it or if God created, I won't know cause I can't be bothered to research it.

I don't really care about God in DxD; I'm more miffed about how people seem to praise him as this undefeatable, indestructible entity. Yeah, I know he died in the war because he placed Thousands of Seals on Trihexa (proof of his mastery of defensive and sealing magic) and fought in an exhausted state. However, people tend to forget that you don't need to be as strong as the person you are sealing.

Example: DBZ with the Mafuba technique or whatever it's called. You don't necessarily need to be strong as the person you are sealing, but some people don't realize that and praise God as a powerful being that is nearly on point with Ophis and Great Red. Seeing stuff like that pisses me off.

Anyway, thanks for the review! Always appreciated, though it'd be easier if you had an account to respond to.

 **Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

PhoenixBlaze123: Partially correct answer!

 **Tell me if there are any mistakes! I didn't really proofread this time, but oh well.**


	10. The First Ashes

**Ashes To Flames**

* * *

"Being reincarnated into a devil boosts your lifespan into basically immortal status, you gain superhuman strength, endurance and enhanced senses," Ruax said. "Night-vision, wings to fly around that can be retracted with ease and the passive ability to understand any language and speak to others as well as access to demonic energy. Unfortunately, [Language] doesn't cross over to reading and writing as well."

Nick nodded as he rubbed his chin.

"Being reincarnated into a devil would make you a Low-Class devil," Ruax continued. "Unfortunately, Low-Class devils are looked down upon in devil society, and to be promoted to a higher class would require impressive feats to the Underworld."

"Wait a minute, Lower-Class?"

Ruax sighed before taking a drink of his coffee.

"Unfortunately, the Underworld society for devils is ranked in classes." Setting his cup down, Ruax created four magic circles stacked on top of each other. "Low-Class is filled with reincarnated devils or devils that have fallen far from grace. Mid-Class are devils that have achieved feats worthy of acknowledgement that help the Underworld or devil society in general. High-Class is devils of nobility or reincarnated devils that rise to power - an extremely rare case - and most that fill these are the seventy-two pillars, many of which have gone extinct."

"To be completely honest with you, Nick," Phenex looked Nick in the eyes. "Pure-Blood devils are slowly but surely starting to disappear completely as more and more reincarnated devils begin to fill up our population. It's making the higher-ups worry, resulting in rushed decisions."

Nick blinked before taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes. Setting them on the coffee table, the teen took a long drink from his mug before setting it down.

"So, low-class is what I would be if I was reincarnated, and mid-class would be very hard for me to reach," the demigod muttered before glancing at Ruax. "Tell me, are you a high-class devil?"

Ruax nodded.

"My Clan in the underworld is one of the last thirty-three remaining clans of the original seventy-two pillars," Ruax said. "The rank of my Clan is Marquis, and while we aren't the most powerful in terms of strength, we provide extremely valuable potions to the Underworld."

"Judging from your rank of Marquis, your ranks of nobility are European based?"

"Something like that," Ruax waved his hand. "Regardless, High-Class devils and above have the privilege of receiving these chess pieces which can be used to reincarnate humans and creatures of other mythologies into _servants._ " Ruax said that in disgust. "Some devils treat their servants well, but many devils abuse their servants and force them to do what they wish."

"I-!"

"And that includes sexual activities," Ruax said, cutting Nick off. "If the servants don't comply, then their Master can declare them a Stray Devil."

"Stray?"

"Devils that have been outcast by their masters or - in most cases - killed or ran away from their masters." Ruax shrugged. "Many get drunk on power and kill their masters and become disgusting mutations of their former self. Many go insane, and devils are generally sent to eliminate before they become a major problem."

"Would there be a certain group of devils to hunt them down or...?"

"It depends where the stray is and whose territory it is residing on." Ruax finished his mug before placing it on the table. "Continuing on, evil pieces function like this." Summoning one of each piece, Ruax placed them on the table. "The Pawn. It doesn't give the user any extra power-ups without their master's permission - I'll get onto that later. Anyway, the Pawn piece allows its owner to Promote to either Rook, Bishop, Knight or the Queen piece which utilises all three pieces power."

Ruax tapped the remaining three pieces.

"Rook enhances your physical capabilities by an absurd amount," the devil said. "Basically makes you into the tank for the team. Bishop enhances all of your magical capabilities and increases your reserves. A tank, but magic instead. The Knight piece increases your speed by an absurd amount, but everything else stays the same. Seeing the pattern?"

"Rook is meat-shield, Bishop is the Wizard of Oz and Knight is hit-and-run tactics. Pawn gets to pick from these and Queen is all three together?"

Ruax nodded, dispersing his evil pieces.

"Correct. As a side note, each piece's power is measured in terms of Pawn pieces." Seeing Nick's face confused, Ruax grinned. "A Rook is worth five pawns, a Bishop is three as well as the Knight and Queens are worth nine."

"Each piece has its own set value, so..." Nick's face lit up. "If the person or creature your trying to revive is too powerful for once piece, you can use multiple pieces?"

Phenex nodded.

"Another side-not; evil pieces can also undergo transformations and become mutation pieces," Ruax said. "When this occurs, the value for the piece can range from one pawn to possibly fifty-five. It's completely random, though these pieces are generally used for powerful servants. Apart from mutation pieces, there are also Unused Pieces which grow with the owners of the evil pieces."

Nick blinked before retreating to the depths of his mug. Setting it down, the teen let out a sigh, the last of his coffee disappearing.

"That's a mouthful," the demigod said.

"Moving on from evil pieces, the last two classes are Ultimate-Class and Satan-Class."

"That doesn't sound dangerous at all."

"Ultimate-Class devils are seen as heroes of the Underworld," Ruax said. "They hold power amongst the highest in devil society and have strong political power and territory in Ars Goetia. They are not to be trifled with, and to reach that rank is an accomplishment in its own."

"What about Satan-Class?"

Ruax scoffed.

"Satan-Class only exists for the figureheads of devil society: The Four Satans. Beelzebub, Leviathan, Asmodeus and Lucifer. There are without a doubt the four strongest devils in the Underworld, with two being Super Devils of all things."

"I don't even wanna know."

"Apart from the class systems, there's also the politics in the Underworld," Ruax continued. "As you said before, we have Marquis, King, Duke, Barons - all that jazz. There's also a higher-up system which implements new laws and changes or updates existing ones. That's run by the Elder Devils and some Ultimate-Class devils. Then, there's also the Great King and oh boy is there a lot to say about him."

Dawn seeped through the cracks in the curtains as the devil and human sat in silence, mugs once filled with coffee now empty and cold.

"So, that's how the Evil Pieces work alongside devil society, huh."

Ruax looked out the window as embers danced in the palm of his hand.

"Unfortunately, yes, and that's barely scratching the surface. You can tell why I wish to face the system now."

Nick nodded idly as his eyes wandered around the room.

"I'm... still not sure," Nick admitted. "But I trust you enough to not lie to me."

Ruax shrugged.

"it's really down to you," the devil said, stifling a yawn. "I'll be here for a couple of days before I go off again, so take your time."

They sat in silence as the sun slowly rose into the sky before a knock on the door brought them to their senses.

"That must be something important," Ruax muttered, getting to his feet. "See you if I see you, Nick."

Sliding a flyer onto the desk, Ruax exited the room, leaving the demigod to ponder in silence.

"...I guess I'll go home first."

* * *

"As Boss said, this is now all yours. We shall do as you say, Boss."

Ruax patted the man on his uninjured shoulder, his other arm a stump of its former glory.

"I have plans for this place, Jeff." Ruax looked around at the aftermath. "First, it needs a new look."

The man looked up carefully at Ruax, his eyes unfocused.

"...what do you plan on doing?"

The devil clapped his hands and grinned.

"Well, clean-up of course. Once that's over, we're gonna bring this hotel to heights it's never seen before. And you," Ruax looked at Jeff, "will be the one running it all."

Seeing his confusion, the devil made his way towards the elevator, gesturing for the man to follow.

"I'm a busy man," Phenex said. "And I know Richard trusted you, so you must be capable."

"Not with an arm like this, Boss..."

Ruax's smile faltered before it reappeared.

"Don't worry, I can get that fixed."

* * *

Passing the shoddy gate to camp, Nick walked the uneven dirt path towards the place he called home. Passing a tree, the teen took an apple and ate it slowly, looking around for his friends.

It was a peaceful morning, but Nick could feel the stillness in the air, the lack of insects chirping creating an eerie, silent atmosphere.

Something was wrong.

Summoning his pistol, the demigod jogged forwards.

"Guys?"

Feet moving faster, Nick sprinted forwards, his boots catching dead leaves and sticks alike as the smell of copper slowly became stronger and stronger. Smoke began to cloud his vision as the haze thickened. The crackling of fire brought the teen to his senses.

Coming to a stop in the bushes, Nick slowly parted the leaves as his eyes widened at the sight before him.

 _ **Ḓ̶̤̊̅́ę̶̛̾a̵̞̲̐ţ̵̡̡h̴̛̤**_

Bodies of his friends were strewn about gruesomely, their blood staining the broken furniture and creating large puddles. The smell of burnt flesh mixed with the smoke created an acidic cloud that would force him to cough violently.

The searing crimson flames reflected off Nick's lenses as he slowly stood up and walked forwards, his weapon slipping from his fingers.

 _Thud_

Slowly looking down, the demigod's eyes widened at the naked form of one of his best friends.

"Alice..."

He fell to his knees and slowly examined her body.

Clothes were torn, face contorted in agony and desperation, the familiar smell of the succubi den's infiltrating his nose.

"...I'm so sorry, Alice... ...I-I'm so, so, so sorry..."

Ravens cawed as the fire intensified, burning everything in sight as it began to expand outwards, consuming all in its way.

"That fucking bitch... that _succubus,_ she did this, didn't she?"

Nick's hands balled into fists before he slammed them into the ground, his tears evaporating before they even left his eyes.

Pulling out a flyer from his back pocket, a drop of blood and a wish murmured, the paper disappeared in a flash before a golden circle appeared.

Stepping out of the summoning circle, Ruax's eyes narrowed as he saw the fire.

Without a word, the devil raised his arms and began to motion towards the sky. Manipulating the flames, they listened to his desires and travelled towards the sky, creating a raging cocoon.

Gathering all the flames, he clasped his hands and condensed the fire into a small orb. Summoning the flame orb, Ruax pocketed the now solid fire and turned to Nick.

"What happened."

"The only one who could've done this would've been that succubus," Nick said coldly, pulling off his jacket. Placing it over his friend, he closed her eyelids and murmured a prayer.

Ruax dispelled the smoke in the area and sighed.

"We'll sort that out later," the devil said. "Right now, I think we need to give your friends a proper burial."

Nick looked up at the devil in surprise as he walked forwards, manipulating the air to move the ruined furniture and equipment into piles of rubble.

As embers hidden threatened to spread, the devil would disperse the weak flames without a glance before moving on.

'Judging from the wreckage around here and the corpses, it seems obvious that it was the one succubus that got away... but she didn't have this destructive power. She must've had help from somebody.'

Ruax looked around for more rubble and bodies before walking back to Nick.

"Nick," the devil said softly. "Let me move it."

The demigod's eyes were unfocused as he clawed at the debris blocking the entrance to the main building.

Slowly pushing the teen out of the way, Ruax shifted the charred wood with his hands, the heat not fazing the devil.

With a grunt, Ruax pulled the debris out and moved onto the next piece. As the devil busied himself, Nick collapsed to his knees, eyes jaded.

"Everyone... I'm sorry..."

. . .

. .

.

 _ **Thud**_

"I'm done," Ruax said. "Go ahead."

As Nick forged ahead, Ruax let out a silent sigh.

'Apart from the succubus, I can only think of Cody as another potential reason for this attack, but... didn't j leave him in Australia?'

The devil frowned before entering the burnt building.

Act now, think later. There could be lives to save.

* * *

"I'll avenge each one of you," Nick murmured, his eyes puffy. Removing his glasses, he wiped the tears with his sleeve.

Standing up, a solemn breeze brushed his hair to the side, ashes swirling in the wind before settling on the new graves.

The demigod faced the devil in the distance, Phenex on the phone before he noticed his gaze.

Hanging up, the devil made his way over before coming to a stop in front of the graves.

"What were their names?" He asked, voice soft.

"A-Alice, Jane, Natasha, Hendrick, James, Charlie and Jason."

Ruax closed his eyes and sighed.

"For now, let's get out of here," Ruax said. "I have nothing of value here, and – while it may seem harsh – it doesn't seem that you do either."

Nick glanced at the devil before lowering his head and sighing.

"You're right," the demigod said. "Right now, the only person I can rely on is you."

Nick's eyes hardened as he faced Ruax.

"I accept your deal. Turn me into a devil."

Ruax blinked before a small smile crept onto his face.

"Are you absolutely sure? There's no way to turn back after this."

Nick nodded.

"The only way to keep myself sane is to preserve the memories of the fallen and leave this place as it is," the demigod said.

"As you say."

A flash of red light emanated from Ruax's closed hand before his fingers unfurled, revealing a single [Pawn].

Stepping forwards, Ruax tapped the piece against Nick's chest. Frowning, he summoned another [Pawn] and tried again, only for the same result. Summoning a third [Pawn], a pulse of demonic energy resonated and Ruax smiled.

"Are you ready?" Ruax asked.

"As ready as will ever be," Nick said.

Merging the three [Pawn] pieces, Ruax placed them against Nick's chest.

"I, Ruax Phenex of the Phenex Clan, command you to become my servant," Ruax intoned, demonic energy condensing within the piece. "Rise from the ashes and be reborn in the flames as my [Pawn]!"

Slowly pushing the chess piece into Nick's chest, red demonic lightning crackled outwards as crimson flames flowed from Ruax's hand into the [Pawn] piece. Nick winced as Ruax pushed the piece further in, his teeth grit in concentration. The demonic energy in the area began to intensify, becoming visible to the naked eye as Ruax pushed the piece completely in.

Nick gasped as his heart pulsed once, demonic energy filling his being.

Magic circuits were broken, disintegrated and reformed within seconds before destructive demonic energy flowed freely. The anatomy of his body slowly began to reform and changeto adapt to his three [Pawn]s power.

Placing his hand on Nick's chest, Ruax's eyes narrowed before he sent a pulse of energy into his chess piece.

Nick gasped as he suddenly fell to the ground, weakness filling his body.

"Your body required three [Pawn]s to turn into a devil," Ruax frowned as he knelt down. "But it seems that it can't handle everything at the moment."

"And what's that mean?" Nick asked weakly.

"Your demigod anatomy is being transformed into that of a devil as we speak," Ruax said. "The [Pawn] pieces will reform your entire anatomy, changing your physical aspects. Though, I'm guessing because of your current mental state and the fact that you're a child of... well, _him_ , I had to restrain your power."

"So I can't grow stronger?" Nick asked through grit teeth.

"You can grow stronger," Ruax corrected. "I'll release the restraints once your body can handle the strain."

With a sigh of reluctance, Ruax placed his hand onto Nick's shoulder and teleported them back to the hotel.

"We'll stay here for a day or two so you can recover your strength," Ruax said, gesturing to the bed. "Since you aren't being resurrected, the changes will have to take place while you sleep."

Nick nodded and stumbled over, promptly collapsing into the bed face-first.

"Guess I'll have to help you," Ruax sighed before walking over.

Helping the demigod in, the devil sighed as he fell unconscious.

'For the evil pieces to have reacted like that... is it because of his soul...? I'll need to contact Ajuka at some point in the future.'

* * *

Forming a dull grey circle underneath his feet, Ruax glanced at Nick, the demigod still in a weakened state.

"Ready to go?"

Nick nodded.

Activating the circle, a flash of grey light teleported the two devils.

"So, I'm a devil now, right?"

Ruax nodded as he slipped on his glasses, the sunlight above no longer hurting his eyes.

"That would explain why the sun is killing me right now."

The two devils were currently in front of a forest, strong trees surrounded in grass and vegetation with thin beams of light penetrating the dense foliage.

A breeze relieved them of the heat as they walked in, sticks and leaves crunching underneath their boots.

"So, whatever happened to Cody?" Ruax asked his new servant as they walked further in.

"...we cut ties with each other," Nick eventually responded. "After you left us in Australia, we had an argument, and he brought up some personal stuff."

"I see."

The crunching of sticks accompanied them as they went further and further into the forest, leaving behind civilisation and entering the wilderness.

"So, what are we doing here again, boss?"

"To train," Ruax replied, brushing aside his hair. "You are powerful for your age, but if I can beat you, then you still need to grow stronger."

Nick scowled. "How old are you again?"

"Ten," the devil replied.

"I can't believe I'm a servant to a ten-year-old," he groaned.

"A very mature ten-year-old who can whoop your ass in a fight," Ruax replied sharply. Even so, he grinned. "I've been training for the past three years, don't feel bad."

Nick went to retort, only for Ruax to enter a clearing.

It was a large opening with sunlight beaming at it, short grass and a few flowers littered around. Listening carefully, Ruax heard the gentle trickle of water nearby.

"Right here," the devil said, dropping multiple bags from his shoulders.

Nick placed his bag on the ground gently and looked around before nodding.

"Do you think it was a good idea to let Jeff run the company himself?"

Ruax hummed in thought as he grabbed the bag with the tent.

"I trust they'll keep it running," the Phenex replied. "Jeff may still be hurt – emotionally and physically – but he'll push through. Besides, my brother sent some people to help out for the time being."

"...right."

As Ruax constructed his tent, Nick walked around and gathered foliage from the ground alongside sticks and stones before dropping them in the centre of the clearing.

"Stupid tent," Ruax growled as he finally finished. Glancing back at Nick smirking at him, he just narrowed his eyes. "Make your own damn tent, Nick."

"Yes boss."

"Was that sarcasm?"

The two locked eyes before Ruax sighed.

"Whatever. Just get that done before I'm back. I've got to make a few calls."

As his new master walked off, Nick sighed and busied himself with his tent. Letting his body work, his mind roamed away as he recalled the recent events that had occurred.

'Crazy, to think I'd become a devil. Still... ...everyone is gone... I've seen it with my own eyes... ...camp is no more, and our teacher is dead... ...I had no where to go...'

 ** _Bùr̷͘n͘i̸͠n͜͝gB̛͝o̡͜͟d͝iès̷De̴ś͟͠t̷͟ro̷͝y҉͜è͘dÇà̀b̛͘in̢s̡҉B͢͝l͘͜ǫo҉d́ie͡d̕͏C̀a͞r̷͟͢c̶͟a̸ss͢e͘sS̀͡t̕e̴̴̛n̶͘chO̴f́S̶͡u͘͢c̢͘c̷̵úb̴͢i̛̛͞D̕̕͢e̴̕a͞҉͞d͝F̡ŗ̵_**

Nick's fist clenched and unclenched as he caught himself and sighed.

'I'll find who did this and avenge my fallen friends. After that, I'll strive to become as strong as I can for boss. It's the least I can do for him giving me a chance. If I were to stay a demigod, they would've eventually hunted me down.'

"Nick," Ruax said, shaking his pawn's shoulder gently. "You good?"

The demigod blinked before relaxing, a sigh leaving his mouth.

"I'm fine, boss," he replied, eyes downcast. "Just... ...just thinking about my old home."

Ruax frowned and left his servant alone. He had an inkling of an idea to who destroyed his home. After all, it started with a C and ended with a Y; a far-fetched idea he had, but possible if they truly fell apart. Then again, there was also that straggler...

The devil groaned as he flipped through his mental checklist of problems.

His reputation as heir to the Phenex Clan. He really hadn't thought of it, but when he returns home, the devil knew he'd be on a tight leash. To fulfil High-Class society's expectations whilst acting as the perfect puppet; it made him feel disgusted. Then again, he had yet to fix Nick's memory problem as well. Sure, he was slowly making progress, regaining bit by bit at times, but it still troubled him that he couldn't destroy the spell outright with his skills. Whoever cast it was well beyond his league, and it troubled him, for why would someone so powerful be after his new pawn?

He cast away his thoughts; a problem for another time. Now, he had to train and refine his skills as well as his servants. The only reason he could fight the succubi and incubi was because of his semi-harsh training for the last three years.

"Nick, I want you to come at me with everything you've got," Ruax said, surprising his servant. "No magic or weapons. I want a brawl, simple as that."

"Will you be fighting in your illusion boss?"

The Phenex shrugged as he rubbed his neck.

"Depends how you want to get beaten up," his King replied. "Do you have a fetish for ten-year old kids dominating you?"

Nick growled as his master chuckled.

"I won't hold back," Nick warned.

"I wouldn't want you to," Ruax said, losing his grin. "I'm testing your strength and capabilities; feel free to go all out."

The demigod nodded before he started stretching. As he prepared himself, Ruax inhaled and closed his eyes as flames began to swirl around his body. A swirl of crimson travelled freely before a golden swirl began to travel in a completely random path.

"Umm, are you using magic?"

"I won't be," Phenex said as he shook his head, eyes opening. "This is my warm-up; I need finer control over my magic whilst not using too much mana at a time."

"Can you do more then two?" Nick asked. "I mean, of the flames."

"I can handle up to ten," Ruax answered. "Anymore than that and I begin to use excess mana and my mind starts to overload." The devil shook his head as they disappeared. "Enough talking, come at me."

His glamour active, Nick cautiously circled Ruax as he smiled, watching carefully for any shifts in defence.

. . .

. .

.

' _Now!'_

Nick rushed forwards as Ruax raised his arm, preparing to counter. Pulling back to punch, the demigod watched as the Phenex merely mirrored his movements and met his strike with his own.

A small shockwave rattled the area around them, blades of grass moving like a gentle breeze passed through.

His arm trembling, Nick could feel Ruax's fist slowly overpowering his own as he growled.

"Bullshit strength," the demigod muttered.

Instead of replying, Ruax lashed out, kicking Nick's feet from underneath him before his knee ascended. Reacting on instinct, Nick managed to avoid the deadly attack and grunted, rolling to the side as Ruax grinned.

"Use your demonic energy and enhance your physical strength," the Phenex said as he began bouncing on the balls of his feet. "It'll take a while to get used to, but I trust you'll get it soon."

"It'd be easier if my power wasn't restrained," Nick replied. "An example would be nice though, boss."

"Coat a part of your body in your demonic energy and use it to enhance yourself. Too much and you'll hurt yourself, too little and it'll be feeble."

Darting forwards, Ruax smirked as Nick's eyes widened, a fiery crimson aura coating his fist as it was blocked.

"There's your example," the Phenex said, taking a step back as his aura dissipated. "Now, enough talk, fight."

Nick scoffed as he wiped his glasses before adjusting them. His eyes narrowing, he darted forwards and shouted as he threw a punch. Meeting his strike, Ruax brushed the attack to the side before using his servant's momentum to flip him over his shoulder.

As he fell, Nick managed to recover before Ruax pushed forwards. The devil's leg lashed out three times in succession, the demigod blocking the first two before the third broke through, knocking him off balance.

Pushing his advantage, Ruax leapt forward as his knee connected with Nick's skull. As he landed into a roll, he turned around and realised his servant was still on the ground, groaning.

"Even without knowing any type of martial arts, you're good at street brawling," Ruax said as Nick managed to get to his knees. "Anyhow, we'll stop here. Do what you need to do now then join me at the tents. You need to tell me everything you can do so I know how to best help you."

Walking towards the tents, the Phenex leaned against the bags and sighed before opening his hand in front of him. Focusing, countless embers sprung to life and began to move in their own independent paths, never once colliding.

Closing his hand, Ruax sighed before sitting down, rubbing his chin in thought.

He had a lot to accomplish, he knew that, but how to achieve his goals was another challenge altogether.

 _Thud_

Ruax perked up, immediately on alert.

Amplifying his devil senses, his eyes narrowed as he sensed multiple approaching magic sources. The strange thing was that they felt empty yet not at the same time, creating an odd pressure.

'Five people in total... I can sense Nick not too far away, but he's surrounded, and it feels like he's fighting.'

Slowly standing up, the Phenex stretched nonchalantly as he suppressed his demonic energy, hiding his aura.

"I know you're there," Ruax said loudly. "Come out and let's talk; I'd rather avoid a fight at all costs."

Feeling multiple projectiles flying his way, Ruax conjured a simple barrier behind his back.

Turning around, Ruax frowned as various weapons of choice were embedded in his dull barrier, a deep hue of purple-black with wisps floating around it.

Looking closely at the weapons, Ruax's eyes widened as his barrier flickered dully, the energy fed into it being absorbed by the weapons. Dispersing the magic defence, the weapons fell to the ground without a sound, the grass wilting from just a touch.

"The hell type of magic is that?"

* * *

"Look, I don't want a fight!"

Nick stepped to the side as a young, tanned boy stumbled forwards, his skinny frame coated in a weak, pulsating aura.

"Your here to kill us, aren't you, filthy devil?!"

"Boss and I didn't even know there were people here!"

Dodging another flimsy attack, Nick frowned as the kid panted heavily, sweat pouring down his body.

"Kid, you can't win this, and I don't want to fight," Nick said, summoning his pistol. "Leave, and you won't get hurt."

Seeing the barrel of the gun, the boy froze, the aura dissipating feebly.

"Walk me towards where you're staying," Nick said, his eyes narrowed. "It seems I need to chat with whoever's in charge."

* * *

"Trespassing on your tribe's territory? What a load of bullshit!"

Ruax threw himself backwards as he was rushed by three men, all dressed in traditional Native American clothes.

As they approached, Ruax's eyes flashed crimson as a pillar of fire erupted underneath one fighter before he swept his arm in front, creating a wave of flames that swamped the area.

Ruax watched curiously as his flames were dispersed, the strange empty-feeling magic coating his enemies.

"Your magic is either absorbing or negating my magic," Ruax muttered as they rushed forwards again.

Meeting them halfway, Ruax dropped the illusion and smirked as they froze, the sight of a child startling them.

Not wasting the opportunity, Ruax slammed his fist into the strongest-looking fighter's gut, enhancing his blow with demonic energy.

The man keeled over, eyes wide in pain before he fell over.

"I don't want to fight," Ruax said as the two remaining fighters stared at him in shock. "I didn't realise there were people living here, and thought this would be a good place to hone my servant's skills."

"A likely excuse from the devil," a new voice said.

Leaping backwards, Ruax eyed the strange dagger where he was standing moment's ago. It was the same purple-black hue as the others.

"Glorious, even more people," Ruax sighed. "Listen, I don't wan-"

"Shut it, devil. I've heard of your silver tongue. I will not be swayed by your false lies!"

Walking from the opening, a tall, lithe teenager walked out. Her tanned skin was hidden underneath her traditional Native American clothing which struggled to contain her balanced chest. Ruax noticed it was the same clothes the men wore.

"Are you warriors for a tribe or something?" Phenex asked. "Because if that's the case, then there's even more of a reason to not fight."

Ruax created a fiery barrier, dispersing the spear hurled at him.

"Tsk! He can overpower our void magic?"

Ruax frowned.

'Void? Seems fitting for what it can do so far.'

Splaying his palm at his enemies, Ruax sighed.

"Guess we're fighting then?" Ruax asked.

"Return to hell, devil."

"I'll bring you with me then."

Unleashing a torrent of flames, Ruax created multiple magic circles behind and smirked.

"Is that all you got?"

A wave of void magic splashed over his wave of flames as the female rushed forwards, a spear of void in her hands.

"You might want to block."

Snapping his fingers, the magic circles erupted to life, beams of fiery energy erupted outwards. As the energy beams collided with the female, they were forced to a stop as void energy coated her body, growing denser and stronger by the second.

"I'll end this now," she snarled, her electric blue eyes glaring at Ruax.

Sensing her power condensing in her hands, Ruax gathered his powers before blasting his flames at his enemy. The fire raged forwards hungrily, licking the ground as it eagerly approached its target.

 _ **FFYOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!**_

Ruax grit his teeth as the void magic began to eat away his flames, forcing its way through as a billowy beam of energy. Nullifying his magical flames, Ruax clicked his tongue in annoyance before bringing both arms up and splaying both hands.

Instantaneously, the flames doubled in power and fiercely fought back, bringing the exchange to a temporary stalemate.

"No one has managed to stop my powers before," the female said, her body coated in void magic. "You're a threat that needs to die!"

Her magic surged and her attack pierced through Ruax's flames. Seeing his flames disperse, the Phenex darted to the side, narrowly avoiding a beam of energy.

"Guess I'll need to stop holding back then."

Rushing forwards, Ruax cupped his hand, avoiding beams of void energy as his opponent grew angrier.

Nearing her physical range, Ruax slammed his palm forwards as golden flames erupted from his hand. Trying to grip her head, Ruax's eyes widened in surprise as the dense energy around her body blocked his hand and fought his flames, holding them back.

Stepping backwards, the devil ducked underneath a swipe from her polearm before flipping backwards, avoiding a vicious follow-up thrust.

Closing his eyes, Ruax envisioned a pole of golden flames and opened his eyes. Manifesting his weapon, Ruax leapt into the fray and slammed his fiery weapon into the spear of void.

The void spear tried to consume the golden polearm as it licked hungrily against the void. Both forces struggled to overcome each other, resulting in a stalemate. Feeling his flames react strangely, the devil frowned.

Disengaging the lock, Ruax felt her foot slam into his gut as he reacted on instinct, smacking his polearm into her face.

Gasping for air, Ruax managed to recover and rolled to his feet, grinning.

The female growled as she slapped her face, putting out the lingering flame. Her cheek was raw red and had a bad burn.

"We don't have to fight," Ruax tried again. "I never intended to intrude on another's land."

"Shut it! You can't sway me with your words, demon!"

Ruax frowned as he lowered his guard and stood there, defenceless, his flames dispersing.

"Fine, then I give up," Ruax said. "Feel free to stab me or something."

'It nullifies energy, but can it nullify my healing?'

Ruax gathered all his demonic energy within his body and walked forwards, suppressing his power.

 _ **ZHIN!**_

"Not even a voice for reason, huh."

Ruax gagged blood as a jagged spear of void pierced his heart, golden Phenex flames hungrily flickering at the wound.

"You shouldn't have invaded our lands, devil," the female smirked.

Without hesitation, the warrior pushed Ruax over before moving towards her friends.

"Are you three alright?" She asked, worry laced in her voice.

"We are fine, Nina."

"Do not worry about us."

"Still, weren't you a bit rough with the child?"

Nina scoffed.

"It was only a devil seeking to take our souls," Nina scoffed. "It deserved to die."

"And this is why the human race is dying."

Nina whipped around to find Ruax standing there, the spear of void in his hands, the wound in his chest gone.

"Impossible!"

"Humans are fucked up, to say the least." Ruax twirled the spear in his hands. "Not to say the Supernatural world isn't as well, but you know..." His eyes narrowed. "Humans can be worse than the devil, ya know?"

Clenching his hands, the spear shattered, fragments scattering before dispersing.

"I came here to train," the Phenex said. "And instead, I was attacked without warning, and when I tried _multiple times_ to try stop the fighting, I was ignored."

Ruax rubbed his neck and sighed.

"D-Devil! Your here to steal our souls, aren't you?!"

"Huh?" Ruax shook his head incredulously. "What era are you living in? Devils haven't taken souls as payment for contracts in ages."

"Liar! Your silver tongue won't sway me!"

"Stop repeating yourself, it's annoying."

Nina rushed forwards and created a spear of void. Leaping into the air, she froze mere centimetres from the devil, his eyes narrowed into a glare.

"I'm done holding back."

Paralysed, Nina felt excruciating pain erupt through her body as golden flames surged forwards, blasting her into a tree. The wood caved in from the force before disintegrating from the flames, leaving her laying on the ground injured as the attack dispersed.

"Short-range telekinesis," the devil said. "Quite effective as a trump card, though it's taken me two years to even be able to do _that_. Stopping you in place is the most I can do at the moment."

Ruax sighed as Nina struggled to stand as he faced the three men.

"Either help your ally and leave or die fighting me," the devil stated. "Make your choice."

"Surrender is not an option; your mere presence threatens our people."

Ruax stared at the man before face-palming hard.

"Why the fuck can't people just listen," he mumbled. "Whatever, I fucking give up."

Creating a fireball, Ruax began to condense his demonic energy within, the flames growing denser and fiercer. Focusing on his unique trait, the Phenex flames flickered gold, easily doubling in strength as Ruax continued to condense more demonic energy within.

"Wait!"

Ruax paused as a large group entered the clearing, noting his servant amongst them.

"I'm assuming your here to end this foolishness?" Ruax asked.

"I am very sorry for my daughter's foolishness," a man in his sixties said, the others helping the warriors. "It seems that she decided to take matters into her own hands, though her lack of experience is what led to this outcome."

"No one's hurt, so I guess it's fine," Ruax said, scratching the back of his head. "Though, I can't exactly disperse this flame anymore."

"I can help with that."

Ruax watched as the man walked forwards before placing his hand around the flames. Slowly, wisps of purple began to circle the flame, floating into the fire and nullifying some of its power.

Feeling his attack get weaker, Ruax raised his hand into the sky and cut off his demonic power. Firing the fireball, it flew into the sky, fizzling out before dispersing.

"Now, let's talk."

* * *

 **In response to reviews saying it feels 'rushed', I can understand where you got that from. The pace in the recent chapters was supposed to be the original pace of the story, but I decided to slow it down just for the beginning. I'm still unsure with how I want this to progress – slow or fast – but with the way I write, it'll most likely stay at the pace it's at now. Sorry for the sudden, jarring change. It's plain bad writing.**

Moving on, just want to say that I'm sorry for not responding to the reviews being sent in. I've been really slack recently and just enjoy reading more than writing at the moment. It's a shit excuse, but it's all I have. So, as an apology, I'll be placing a poll up on my profile for which arc you'll like to see next. I have the current arc's base plan all ready, it just needs to be implemented.

Again, sorry for the lack of updates. Also, Ruax (Pronounced Ru - Axe) is the name I came up with. I didn't realise 'Roux' was a thing and searched it up... and promptly laughed my ass off. Honestly, the name is pretty trash, I know that myself. When I think of it story-wise though, I can imagine Lord Phenex wanting to name the child with his wife knowing it'll be a shit name lol. Anywho, if everybody hates the name, I'll think of a change.

Anyway, sorry for the wait once again and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	11. IMPORTANT NOTICE

Aight, it's obvious from the short amount of votes.

Story will be up sometime in the next two weeks.

Keep an eye out and check my profile for the release.

To those who started reading this and have found this message... sorry.

Ashes To Flames is now cancelled.

Instead, watch out for-

 **Ashes To Flames: Rebirth**


	12. Rebirth

Ashes To Flames: Rebirth is now up

Check it out


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